482 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 15. 



of our finished product. I am well satisfied (by 

 actual observation) that many bee-keepers 

 stumble on to some form of hive " by accident 

 rather than the careful condsideration " of 

 practical results, and whimsically conform to 

 its inconveniences so long that the greatest 

 amount of success with another and more 

 "economical" form will not induce them to 

 shake off the spell. 



Of course, the square hive "furnishes more 

 nearly the natural requirements " than the 

 long shallow form; but doesn't the straw hive, 

 as he says, or, for that matter, the hollow tree, 

 furnish that quality to a still greater extent 

 over the cubical? It isn't the "natural re- 

 quirements " we're after, as much as subject- 

 ing the bees to these little inconveniences on 

 their part, for the sake of the greatest financial 

 results? 



ADVANTAGES OF THE SQIIAEE HIVE. 



In regard to the holding capacity of the 

 eight-frame hive not being large enough, why 

 not use a ten-frame L. hive, which affords the 

 same "economical form in construction," and 

 which affords no more "surface exposure," that 

 I can see, if we consider both the ends as well 

 as the sides of combs; and it seems to me that 

 end exposure is more objectionable than side. 

 If a square hive is desired in order to obtain a 

 more desirable height for manipulation, why 

 not elevate the long shallow hive to suit the 

 fancies of the operator— a position, by the way, 

 that many desire on account of the ravages of 

 'vermin. 



SQUAKE vs. LONG HIVES FOR WINTERING. 



In the square hive, " at the beginning of cold 

 weather the brood will all be hatched." Just 

 so in the long hive. " This will leave the lower 

 part of the combs empty, upon which the bees 

 will be clustered." That's the way they do it 

 in the long hive. "The stores," he says, "will 

 be above the bees, in the most favorable posi- 

 tion to be protected and preserved by the heat 

 ascending from the cluster." I don't know 

 about that. I will see you later. Again, "As 

 winter advances, the consumption of stores 

 enlarges the brood -nest of empty combs, and 

 the cluster advances slowly upon the stores 

 above them." Say! hold on! Isn't it a fact 

 that, but for the short warm spells during win- 

 ter, that permit the bees to carry stores from 

 any direction in the brood-nest to the center of 

 the cluster, they would starve, the shape of the 

 hive notwithstanding? Again, isn't it a fact 

 that brood-rearing invariably commences in 

 the center of the cluster where the out- 

 side honey is being carried? Speaking about 

 dormant clusters moving on to the stores — 

 why! dormant clusters are dormant — they don't 

 move. If cold weather compels them to stay 

 dormant long enough, the bees will "go up" 

 while the temperature goes down. He says, 

 "Stores of honey exposed for any considerable 

 length of time to the cold become candied," 



etc. Now, the past winter I had honey granu- 

 late all around some clusters, I believe, by the 

 heat generated by the bees evaporating the 

 watery portion of the stores. 



As space forbids a more minute criticism of 

 friend B.'s article, I shall be content if allowed 

 to enumerate a few of the many advantages of 

 the long shallow hive, from my point of view. 



ADVANTAGES OF THE LONG HIVE. 



It is more shallow, hence less liable to blow 

 over. It takes narrower boards in construction, 

 and consequently is less apt to season-crack. 

 Combs are less liable to break down by high 

 temperature. I have seen dozens of hives with 

 American frames, where every comb in some 

 cases would collapse at a high temperature, 

 but never one with shallow combs. Combs 

 being shallow, they are easier removed from 

 the hive — you don't need one side of the hive 

 knocked out. Combs being shallower than in 

 square hives, the bees enter the supers more 

 readily. We all know that bees will work above 

 quicker if a one-tier super is used instead of a 

 double-tier, and still a shallow hive with two 

 tiers of sections is but very little taller than 

 friend B.'s; consequently it stands to reason 

 that better results may be expected from a long 

 shallow hive than a square one which, in con- 

 sequence, is taller. 



Carbondale. Kan. 



[It is true, I made no answer to the article on 

 page 251. Inasmuch as I knew our friend 

 Board man had more to say on the same sub- 

 ject, I decided to reserve my footnote until 

 that time. Well, if you will turn to page 296, 

 April 15, you will find my answer. But I do 

 not like, as a rule, to "footnote" an article so 

 hard as to spoil its force; indeed, I would never 

 do it unless I thought the teachings were liable 

 to do harm, or were founded on error. Mr. 

 Boardman produces good arguments for his 

 side, and to a great extent I sliould prefer to 

 let them stand, so far as I am concernnd. But 

 suppose I had "footnoted" it so hard as to 

 knock his arguments into smithereens, then 

 there would have been no occasion for your 

 writing the above valuable communication. If 

 the editor tried to make every article lean his 

 way. and break down the force of every article 

 leaning the other way. his journal would be 

 narrow, biased, and teach nothing but one- 

 sided truth.— Ed.] 



LARGE HIVES. 



THE LONG -IDEA HIVES. 



By W. S. Hart. 



Mr. Root:— I have just read Mr. J. A. Nash's 

 article, on page 348, on "The Large or the 

 Small Hive;" also the two that follow it, favor- 

 ing the large hive, and I fully indorse the three 

 in nearly every point on which they treat. 

 As I have not followed this discussion of 

 " Large vs. Small Hives " from the beginning, I 

 will not attempt to enter it farther than to give 

 my choice and a few facts and conclusions 

 bearing on the matter, for fear of merely giv- 



