296 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 15. 



In the spring I wish to keep in touch with my 

 bees, and know at all times their exact condi- 

 tion. To examine them I pass rapidly along on 

 the back side of the hives, weighing each one 

 with delicate scales which I have in the ends 

 of my fingers, and at the same time I tip the 

 hive up and count the spaces between the 

 combs in which there are bees. I have learned 

 to do this work very rapidly; 30 minutes is suf- 

 ficient time to go over 150 colonies. When I 

 wished to examine the combs briefly, to locate 

 the queenless colonies that may be in the yard, 

 or for any other purpose, I tip the hives in such 

 a manner that the sun will shine straight in at 

 the bottom. With a few puffs of smoke I drive 

 the bees from between the combs to be examin- 

 ed; then by pulling them slightly apart I have 

 a good view clear to the top of the hive. This 

 has the advantage of being quick and easy, and 

 can be carried on at any time without attract- 

 ing robbers; and in early spring you can take a 

 look at the brood-nest without exposing it to 

 the cold. The open-bottom hive is, in my 

 mind, intimately connected with the solution 

 of the winter problem. My hives have been 

 carried in and out of winter quarters for years, 

 without bottoms; others report that they are 

 not able to make it a success. I was puzzled 

 at first, and thought it was because they did 

 not know how; but I suspect it is the exposure 

 of the large open bottom of the long hive that 

 causes disturbance of the bees. Now, may be 

 this is also the key to the origin of this feature. 

 East Townsend, Ohio. 



[You say there is one argument yet unanswer- 

 ed that stands upon the side of the long hive. 

 Aye, there's the rub. It is the standard. It is 

 adopted ni the United States and Canada, in 

 many of the islands of the sea, in jNew Zea- 

 and, and also in Australia. We may admit all 

 your arguments in favor of the cubical hive; 

 but what are we going to do about if? The sit- 

 uation, it seems to me, finds a partial parallel 

 in this: Our present system of spelling is outra- 

 geous. All schoolchildren have to waste years 

 over something that might be much better 

 spent upon some other department of learning. 

 Printers have to waste tons and tons of type for 

 useless silent letters; and they have to waste 

 years of time in setting them up and in throw- 

 ing them down again. Pressmen have to waste 

 press room, to say nothing of valuable space on 

 the pages of our books and journals, and all for 

 what reason? Because we are helpless, and can 

 not change. Our books for centuries have been 

 printed so as to accord essentially with our 

 present methods of spelling. 



The Langstroth system is adopted through- 

 out the United States and a large part of the 

 world ; but, unlike the spelling of our lan- 

 guage, it is not outrageous. By many it is con- 

 sidered unique. We have for years made our 

 hives so that the earliest frames we ever made 

 will fit the hives of our present manufacture, 

 and vice versa. 



There is one point that it seems to me you 

 have not considered in speaking of the advan- 

 tages of the cubical hive. It requires wider 

 lumber, or else boards of one or more pieces 

 matched together, because the hive is tall or 

 deep; and the fewer cracks we can have in the 

 side of a bee-hive, the better. The long hive 



takes narrow barn-boards — lumber compara- 

 tively cheap in price; and a side or end of such 

 a hive can be made of a whole board. It is 

 true, you?' hive may be; but when you go be- 

 yond ten or twelve inches with the boards, you 

 have got to pay more than jjvo rata price for 

 the extra width. It appears, therefore, that 

 the Langstroth hive is the cheaper of the two; 

 and it is, therefore, cheaper to the bee-keeper. 



There is one other point that has not, per- 

 haps, been considered, and that is this: Bee- 

 keepers who use the long hive seem to produce 

 as much honey as those who use the cubical; at 

 least, in all my readings (and 1 am forced nec- 

 essarily to read a good deal on the subject of 

 bees, both published and unpublished manu- 

 script) I have never run across a case that I re- 

 member, where the square or cubical hive had 

 the advantage in net results of comb or ex- 

 tracted honey produced. 



There was a time when we had deep hives; 

 and the experience of my father as well as my 

 own seemed to be that the Langstroth frame 

 was more easily manipulated and withdrawn 

 from the hive. In your case you overcome the 

 disadvantage somewhat by the use of the side- 

 opening hive ; but these are used but little, 

 comparatively, if I am correct; and, besides, it 

 is not possible to make such a hive as tight as 

 one that has permanent sides and ends all 

 around. 



As to your last sentence, about the bees flying 

 out from the bottom of the shallow hive, pre- 

 paratory to putting them into the cellar, I be- 

 lieve you are entirely correct. I came to that 

 conclusion myself after seeing you handle your 

 hives, and trying the same in our own Lang- 

 stroth. 



It is not my purpose to make an attempt to 

 overthrow your arguments, but only to give our 

 readers an opportunity to see the question on 

 both sides. You have fairly presented many of 

 the arguments in favor of the long hive, and I 

 only wished to add a few more that perhaps 

 you have overlooked. — Ed.] 



MANUM IN THE APIARY. 



EARLY SPRING MANAGEMENT OP BEES; HOW TO 



LOOK OVER COLONIES WITIIOLTT WASTING 



TIME UNNECESSARILY, OR EXPOSING 



BEES TO COLD AIR. 



By A. E. Manum. 



"Good-morning. Leslie. Are you out taking 

 a sun-bath this fine morning?" 



" I have come over to get a setting of eggs. I 

 want to try your new breed of fowls." 



"Well, just go into the house, and my wife 

 will put them up for you. I want to show this 

 man where to put his horse." 



" Manum, who is that chap ? " 



" His name is Abe Jones. He came here last 

 week to see if I would allow him to work with 

 me one day each week, during the bee season, 

 and show him what I could in the management 

 of bees, as I now manage them, and I consented 

 to do so. He has a few bees." 



"Well, that is a new kink in the business. 

 It's a grand chance for him. He can care for 

 his own bees, and at the same time take lessons 

 of you. Does he pay you any thing for it?'' 



"Yes, he pays for his dinner, and for hay for 

 his horse; in other words, he offered me $10.00 

 for the season." 



