THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



i8i 



I want to mention a case to show 

 what fan be done with uniformity and 

 system. A widow, who does not live 

 so \-ery far from Mr. Ailvin, lieeps 

 bees in lioxes nailed up out of boards 

 tlie same siz(» as an S-frame Langs- 

 troth hive. Lath was nailed in for 

 top-bars Vi inch down from the top or 

 the l)ox. A liottom Avas nailed on, 

 and a loose cover Avas improvised. She 

 lias no l<nowled8e of bees, but she got 

 a good supply of supers (standard 

 s-frame Langstroth) and put them on, 

 ••md then toolc them off as soon as 

 lilled. and in the fall she put $(J5U 

 worth of honey on the car from (30 

 colonies. How did she do it? Simply 

 I)ecause she had a uniform and simple 

 system, an old box brimful of bees in 

 the early spring, and the bees were 

 there because the box met their re- 

 ipiirements, and was full of breeding 

 space and honey, instead of sticks 

 and spaces. 



Honestly, Mr. Aikin, I don't be 

 lieve she could have accomplished 

 those residts with any other system. 

 It's simplicity met her knowledge of 

 tlie l)usiness. 



The hive she used was much the 

 same system as advised by that schol- 

 arly gentleman and prince among liee- 

 keepers, Moses Quinby, 50 years ago. 

 for farmer bee-keepers, or, in fact, 

 for anyone who didn't care to liandie 

 cond)s. 



You will, no doubt, say her success 

 was because of the extra-good season. 

 I thiid< not: as she did just as well 

 comparatively three years ago; also 

 one year ago. I think it is because 

 of those good natural (pieens in a 

 proper-sized l)rood-nest. neither too 

 large nor too small, without any 

 frames, sticks or spaces to interfer<> 

 witli rearing: the greatest amount of 

 boos in the least amount of space. 



Another illustration: One year ago 

 I l)onght 21*. colonies within three 

 miles from your home. They were in 



boxes like those d(>scribed. excepting 

 four in tlic Lilllclon liivc, wiiirli is 

 nothing more nor less than the Ued- 

 dou system. One colony was dead, 

 and two otlieis wcalc: but tlie boxes 

 were packed full of ln'cs by April !■">. 

 and I am sure tiiat ncitlier yon nor 1 

 had any colonies in frame Inves to 

 compare with them at that date. 



Again. I am confident that these 

 longit-udinal boxes were .ust as sti'ong 

 as if they had been standing upi-iglit 

 like the ideal hive you have (lescril)ed 

 in a previous article. I'.ut your hive, 

 .".(I inches high, is not practical, and 

 my ideal box lying down must have 

 frames in it. as we nnist have con- 

 trol of the coml)s. and I will admit 

 that when I put in a set of frames 1 

 lessen the possildlities of that colony, 

 and I insist that when you put in 

 two sets of frames and spaces yon 

 double the loss in tlie liive. 



Again, my oliservation has led me 

 to think, at least, tliat a divisibh" 

 brood-chamber will not winter as well 

 in Northern Colorado as the regular 

 Langstroth. in the open air. As you 

 know, my preference is for the 

 8-frame, while you prefer the 10- 

 frame, and j'ou give notice that yon 

 may change to a 12-frame. 



Let me suggest that just in propor 

 tion as you add frames above S. or it 

 least 9, just in that proportion will 

 you lessen the amount of honey yo;; 

 ship. 



If I were living wliere I wanted a 

 great amount of ])ees for, say a 20 or 

 .">(' days' lio]iey-fIow, I sliould certainly 

 run hives two stories liigli. for m 

 (lueen can be ruslied for a short time: 

 but out of the thousands of queens 1 

 liave owned, I have never owned one 

 tliat could keep more than an 8-frame 

 hive well stocked with brood for five 

 months— the time that is required here 

 to cover the season when liees must 

 be strong. I know of 12-frame liives 

 that have slabs of honey in them ."> 



