1910 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



731 



er, too often put tlie second one on top, 

 which, in nearly every case, is wrong. The 

 second brood-chamber should be placed be- 

 neath the one the queen is occupying. 

 Then with the tendency to store honey 

 above the brood, together with the disposi- 

 tion of both fielders and young bees taking 

 flights to mass about the entrance, the 

 queen will readily follow dawn with her 

 egg-laying. 



1 have mentioned above the tendency of 

 the colonies to store honey above the brood. 

 Xow, note that, if the horizontal measure 

 of the hive is such that ten, twelve, or more 

 frames are used, there is too much room at 

 the sides, and the outside combs catch too 

 much honey. Eight frames are enough, 

 and perhaps really too much. At any rate, 

 1 believe it would be a sad mistake to en- 

 large the hive by adding frames at the side. 

 Several yearfe ago I settled on a divisible 

 hive that is 12 inches wide by 16 inches 

 long, such a hive being about as short as 

 advisable for a satisfactory super length. I 

 use for brood-chambers from two to four of 

 these bodies, the frames of which are 5 inch- 

 i s deep, making respectively from 8 to 16 

 Langstroth comb capacities. Sometimes 

 1 want to use but one section of the hive, 

 but usually I have two when a surplus is 

 bring stored. For fall, winter, and spring 

 three seem preferable; though if the fourth 

 one is put on, no harm in the least is done. 



Here is what I have discovered is the re- 

 sult so far as the storing of honey and work 

 in the super is concerned, when the brood- 

 chamber is composed of three or four stories. 

 I put the section having the most brood in 

 it at the top (if the section is not full of 

 brood I make it full by exchanging these 

 empty or broodless combs for others that 

 are filled with brood from other sections) . 

 Thus all the empty brood-combs which the 

 queen can use are below, and the honey that 

 comes in will then be stored in the super 

 above tjhe section full of brood. I do not 

 mean by this that there will never be any 

 honey stored below the brood, for it might 

 happen that, in a rapid flow, there would 

 be honey stored and sealed in some of the 

 loAcr combs, but in moderate flows the 

 nectar coming in will be unloaded into these 

 lower combs, and then at the first oppor- 

 tunity be taken up into the super combs be- 

 ft)re being sealed. Just at a time when the 

 flow is rapid is the time of the whole year 

 when the very smallest brood-chamber is 

 needed. At all other times, especially when 

 Ijrood-rearing is to be encouraged, it is best 

 to give unlimited comb space below the 

 brood. 



Xow, why should we discard the eight- 

 frame hives when so many bee-keepers have 

 them, especially when they can be made so 

 much cheaper than the wide ones, and 

 when better results can be secured in almost 

 every way by using two of them? I know 

 that two of the eight-frame bodies make the 

 brood-chamber a little large at times; but 

 with care to have the brood massed in the 

 upper body at the proper time, and remov- 



ing entirely one of the bodies, fine results 

 can be secured in the super. I know that 

 the double-story brood-chambers will per- 

 mit better control, and better results will be 

 secured in every way than with a Jumbo 

 body in which the combs are all in one set 

 of frames. 



Remember that the two-story brood- 

 chamber requires but one extra body and 

 frames, and it is but little more expensive 

 than a Jumbo body. Then when to this is 

 added a wood-zinc honey-board to confine 

 the queen to one of the bodies when desired 

 for any purpose, we ha^ve a far more con- 

 trollable hive than if the brood-chamber 

 were all in one; and for making increase, 

 taking the extra body away just when it is 

 the right time to contract for super work, is 

 the best way yet. 



Mr. Editor, please do not advocate those 

 massive wide hives when a far better result 

 is secured in a double-story eight-frame 

 hive. I do not mean that there are no long- 

 er any improvements that can be made in 

 the regular eight-frame Langstroth hive, 

 but I do mean that there is not the least 

 use in having any other sizes of bodies, bot- 

 toms, or covers. 



Loveland, Colo. 



[See discussion of this question in the ed- 

 itorial department. — Ed.] 



THE TEN-FRAME HIVE PREFERRED. 



The Proper Manipulation for Extracted -honey 

 Production. 



BY P. C. CHADWICK. 



Eighteen years of observation in the East, 

 and seven in Southern California, lias led 

 me tx) some very decided opinions as to the 

 size and management of hives. However, 

 whatever I may pen for these columns from 

 time to time will be from the standpoint of 

 California, which I regard as having condi- 

 tions peculiarly its own. 



I will not try to settle the que.'>tioii of 

 proper dimensions of hives or frames, but 

 will be satisfied to say that, as bee-k« eping 

 has made steady advances since the vener- 

 able Langstroth gave us the frame which 

 bears his name, and as the great n'ajority 

 of all hives in use are of this pattern, it 

 seems to »ie we can do no better than to 

 dofif our hats to the memory of this grand 

 old benefactor, and discuss some things rel- 

 ative to the capacity of hives for these frames 

 for best results. 



The eight-frame hive need not be consid- 

 ered longer than to say that, for conditions 

 as found here, I do not see why any one 

 should prefer an eight-frame for either comb 

 or extracted honey. The ten-frame is the 

 standard, and will doubtless remain so from 

 the fact that there is too much invested in 

 this size as a standard to pay to make a 

 change, if for no other reason. 



The burden of this article will be on the 

 ten-frame size, though before discussing this 



