May V.I. 1904. 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



359 



ar. 



IXV 



OBSBRVATORT HIVE — LONGITUDINAL, VERTICAL SECTION, WITH FRAME IN PLACE. 



tion, and, thanks to our club, we have one in our place, a 

 local enterprise, which is up-to-date, cheap, very efficient. 

 We have brought the rate from S2. 50 a month (the charge of 

 the old Co.,) to SI. 00, and still make money. This place had 

 five 'phones in the old company, as against 60 now. Does 

 this not score tig for the club ? 



Los Angeles Co., Calif. 



Directions for Making an Observatory Hive. 



BY AI.L,EN LATHAM. 



A CORRESPONDENT being interested in my article on 

 the value of observatory hives, which appeared on 

 page 53, has asked me to give directions through the 

 American Bee Journal for making such a hive. He re- 

 quested that I furnish photographs, but I have thought'that 

 little could be gotten from photographs ; but, moreover, it 

 is not easy to get good results photographing glass hives. 

 Instead, I have drawn sections of the hive and so lettered 

 the parts that one can easily reproduce such a hive after 

 getting the materials together. 



MATERIALS NBBDBD FOR AN OBSERVATORY HIVE. 



I. 1 piece, ^ by 2 by a length l)i inches longer than 

 the outside length of frame 



2 pieces, J4 by 2 by a length 2 more than the depth 

 of frame, outside measure. 



2 pieces, :Js by l-'4 by a length '2 more than the e'ld- 

 bar of frame, measured from the under surface of top- 

 bar to the under surface of bottom-bar. (The length 

 of these can vary, they regulating the space below 

 the frame.) 



1 piece, H by 1'4 by a length equal to that of I. 



2 pieces, '/% by ^^ by a length I '4 more than that of I. 

 2 pieces, y% by IJ4 by a length equal to that of V. 

 4 pieces, y% by l.V by a length 2 less than that of II. 



VIII. 2 pieces, y^, by 2'+ by a length equal to that of II. 

 X. 2 sheets of glass, about 's thick, length equal to that 

 of I, width % less than length of II. 

 (All dimensions are in inches, and fractions of an inch.) 

 Additional materials are two dozen '4 -inch brass screws, 



and a few nails of assorted sizes. A frame of brood and 



honey with a few bees and queen, or a 



frame of young brood with many bees and 



no queen, or a small swarm with empty 



frame. A board about 6 inches wide, of 



a length to be set in a window beneath 



the sash. Through this board is a hole to 



correspond with the entrance of the hive, 



and at such a distance from the lower 



e<ge of the board as to let the hive rest 



on the window-sill. Two large screws are 



II. 

 III. 



IV. 



V. 



VI. 



VII. 



to be put through this board from the 

 outside to secure the hive. The board 

 itself is firmly fastened to the window- 

 frame. 



The other letters in the diagrams are 

 explained as follows : 

 X(. is tl e comb. 



XII. the end-bars. 



XIII. the top-bar. 



XIV. the bottom-bar. 

 XV. the entrance. 



XVI. nails to hold bottom of frame 

 and keep it from swinging. 

 XVII. end staples. 



The diagrams are drawn to a scale, 

 for a frame 13><long by ll,"i deep, out- 

 side measure. The table of materials 

 above has been compiled for any size 

 of frame, allowing '2 an inch below the 

 frame, 's at the ends, and a bee-space 

 above. 



After getting the materials together, 

 nail the two pieces marked II to the 

 ends of I. IV is then nailed to one 

 I, allowing the space at each edge for 

 the thickness of glass. Then the pieces 

 marked III are nailed in place, looking 

 out to nail so as to leave a place to bore 

 the entrance-hole. As glass varies in 

 thickness, it is well at this point to fit 

 each side to its sheet of glass. Then 

 the nails are driven in which secure 

 the bottom of the frame (XVI). The 

 sheets of glass are put in place, and V, 

 VI, and VII screwed \n ^\^c^. See that the glass is just 

 flush with I and II, or you may crack it. No putty is used, 

 for it may be desirable to remove the glass for cleansing, 

 or to replace a broken pane. Then pieces marked VIII are 

 nailed in place. Finally the hole, an inch in diameter, is 

 bored for the entrance. It should be flush with the bottom 

 of the hive. 



The bees and frame are best put into the hive out-of- 

 doors, after the hive has been fitted to its place in the win- 

 dow. After the bees are in, a slip of paper is put over the 

 entrance, the hive is carried to its place, adjusted, the paper 

 removed, and the screws put in. It may be well to stop up 

 the entrance in the board before putting in ^crews. (This 

 last advice is for beginners.) The entrance 

 is freed, the window closed, and all is O.K. 



The hive had best be put in a north 

 window, unless there is an east or south 

 window permanently sheltered from the sun- 

 shine. If the hive is placed in a south win- 

 dow without &ora& fixed shade, with the idea 

 in mind of providing a movable shade, the 

 day will surely come when some one will 

 forget to put the shade in place, and when 

 next visited the hive will be found converted 

 into a solar wax-extractor. Yet there is a 

 great disadvantage in the north windowt 

 for the reason that our coldest winds come 

 from that quarter. Their effect can be 

 partly overcome by stopping well the cracks 

 in the window and cutting down the en- 

 trance temporarily. If one has a suitable 

 window with a milder exposure I think that 

 the bees might be better off. Whatever ex- 

 posure is chosen the window should be above 

 the ground floor on account of passers-by. 



The correspondent also wishes hints for 

 the care of such a hive. Now. experience is 

 a good teacher for an observing person, and 

 no person ought to keep bees unless he is 

 observing. I will simply say that the obser- 

 vatory-hive colony is in an abnormal state, 

 and will require special attention. It will 

 need to be fed through all the time that 



LONGITODINAL CROSS-SECTION. 



a 



B 



w 



