890 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Dec. 15. 



The sides of the winter case are but % of an 

 inch thick (J< board split), thus adding mate- 

 rially to tlie lightness of the liive. When com- 

 plete in all its paits this hive weighs but 35 lbs. 



Fig. 1 gives a good idea of the brood-chamber, 

 section -case. etc. One frame is r(>moved from 

 the brood-nest to show the saw-kerf in the top- 

 bar.' for inserting foundation comb-guide, or 

 forfastening full sheets of foundation when de- 

 sirable to do so. The foundation is placed in 

 the kerf, and then three one-inch wire nails are 

 di'iven tiirough the bar to hold the combs in 

 place. The woric is quickly done: and. when 

 properly done, the foundation will hang i)er- 

 fectlv true within the frame. 



THE ADVANTAGES OF THE CLOSED-END 

 FRAME. 



VIG. ■\ BOTTOM-BOAKI). 



It will also be seen in illustration. Fig. 1. that 

 one wide frame is i-emoved from the section- 

 case, thus showing the sections and the sepa- 

 rators, which, it will be seen, run the full length 

 of the case. 



The Bay State hive has but 8 brood-frames, 

 and a capacity of about two-thirds of a ten- 

 frame L. hive. We have used this hive six 

 seasons, and find it large enough for all prac- 

 tical purposes, and first-class in every respect. 

 The brood-chamber is so compact and so well 

 protected from th(> weather by the outer case, 

 that colonies breed up I'apidly and quickly in 

 the spring. No hive can wintei- better on a 

 summer stand. 



The hiv^e is so constructed that the closed-end 

 frame or the L. frame can be used without any 

 change to the bottom-boai'd. Of course, the L. 

 frames must be used in a box oi- case so that the 

 frames can hang on rabbets. 



Wenhani, Mass., Dec. 1. Henry Alley. 



Our new Dovetailed hive with fixed frames 

 has very many points similar in principle to the 

 Bay State. Yoti say that queens have never 

 been known to enter the upper story of your 

 hive. But, friend Alley, they will do so some- 

 times in all hives without perforated zinc, and 

 yours would hardly be an exception. We have 

 had no reports that queens wcnit up into the 

 upper stoiy of our Dovetailed hive; but we 

 have no doubt that there are instances when 

 the queens have gone above. The outside case 

 of your hive is, without doubt, a nice thing. 

 Without knowing that you had such an ar- 

 rangement we (that is, the younger part of the 

 editorial statT) have been having a sort of lean- 

 ing toward a case almost identically the same. 

 Twenty-eight of our colonies have such cases 

 over them for the winter, for experiment. As 

 to how it will winter bees, you are silent in 

 your article: but in youi' journal you have 

 spoken liighly in its praise. 



MR. L. C. AXTELI. (ilVES VAI.UAHI-E TESTIMONY'. 



As a bee-keeper here in the West. I have 

 thought for several years I was nearly alone in 

 the use of the closed-end bi-ood-frame. But I 

 was conscious of the fact that its merits here 

 were not fully appreciated. 



Now, the question has been raised. " What 

 are its merits?"' I will state how I came to use 

 them, and \\\\y I adlu-re to them. 



^^■ lien our first swarm of bees was bought, 

 which was in 1871. it was put into a box hive. 

 The next year it gave two swarms, and prob- 

 ably 25 lbs. of honey, which we th<'n thought 

 was a prodigious crop. By mismanagement 

 we wrecked one of the cohjnies. We were so 

 wrought up by this loss that we talked with 

 every person wlio had bees in our vicinity, and 

 learned from them all they knew on the sub- 

 ject, and that was but pi'ecious littler We bor- 

 rowed Langstroth's book. "'The Hive and 

 Honey-bee." Also hearing of M. Quinby's 

 work, " Mysteries of Bee-keeping Explained. '" 

 it was purchased and read. Soon we liad on 

 our table nearly all that was then printed about 

 bees, and contents discussed. As yet we used 

 only the box hive: but now it j/iH.sf r/o, and be 

 replaced by a movable-fi-ame liive. 



After careful study we decided that the 

 Quinby hive would be best for wintering pur- 

 poses, so one was ordered, and all my first hives 

 were made after that pattern. I tliink it was 

 after using these hives two years that I hap- 

 pened to purchase a colony of bees in a hive 

 with hanging frames — the Langstroth. 



WHY THE CLOSED-END FRAMES HANDLE AS 

 EASILY' AS TIIp; HANOINO. 



It occurred to m(\ "' Now is the time to make 

 a test of hives and frames.'" At the close of the 

 season it summed up something like this: 

 There was no difference in the amount of honey 

 stored. Difl'erence in hives did not figuri' mucli. 

 Quinby hive cost most, but was best for out- 

 door wintering. The decision, thei'efore. must 

 rest on the ease of manipulation of fiames in 

 the hive. I have always produced nearly all 

 comb honey, and the surplus coml)S could be 

 handled about as easily in one hive as in the 

 other, so that did not count. But with my 

 closed-end frames, during the honey-flow I 

 could slip out one. two, or thi'ee brood-combs 

 and replace them without disturbing th(> sur- 

 plus receptacles; whUc. to do th<' same with 

 hanging frames, the surplus receptacle would 

 have to be removed, them move at least two of 

 the brood-frames in order to have I'oom to take 

 out the first frame; and in n>placing I had to 

 be much more careful than with closed-end 

 frames. But if all brood - frames had to be 

 handled, there was a still greater difference. 

 In this case the supers would have to be re- 

 moved from and replaced on each. But in us- 

 ing the closed-end frame, pry apart, leaving 

 two. three, or even four stick together with 

 propolis: lift them out of the hive, three or 

 four together, and i'e]jlace them in the hive in 

 the same condition, push f hem close together; 

 close the hive and the woi'k is done. They are 

 always properly spaced. 



OB.IECT-IONS TO HANGING FRAMES. 



With the hanging frame there is always the 

 difficulty in getting out the lirst franu^. so as 

 not to Ivill bees oj' iiuik(> them angi'y: then in- 

 stead of handling three or four at a time, hav- 

 ing to take out one by one. But putting back 

 the frames is woi'st of all. They must be put 

 in one by one; and when done as cai'efully as 

 you may, perhaps there is not half room enough 



