50 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 



the Extractor, we would advise the double 

 width hives. If you have two empty hives, 

 make them into one of double width as ad- 

 vised on page 43 ; lift the combs of the colony 

 into this ; keep building them out by inserting 

 combs as before, and proceed in the same way 

 with the rest, as they demand more room. If 

 you have the Simplicity hives you can use the 

 upper story as well as the lower, for they are 

 precisely alike ; but with the ordinary two 

 story hives 'tis more difficult ; however, if you 

 have no money to spare for new hives, and 

 plenty of time, it may be managed, but we fear 

 they would present rather a sad appearance. 



In regard to the manner of feeding, we do 

 know that it matters materially. To go 

 around to 50 hives daily is quite a task, and 

 one we cannot really recommend unless the 

 Apiarist has nothing else to do. We last sea- 

 son arranged cloth feeders in every one of our 

 hives, in .such a manner that they could be 

 tilled from a Coffee-pot, without opening the 

 hive ; but even then 'twas a " back breaking" 

 routine. If you have no sealed combs from 

 stocks that have died, (we are very fortunate 

 in that respect) give them a tea-kettle feeder 

 full, during a warm spell and then close down 

 the quilt again. It will do no harm if you 

 keep them supplied with an empty comb, at 

 intervals. 



Feeding in the open air, is by far the least 

 trouble, and is, we believe superior to all other 

 methods of stimulative feeding, providing you 

 have no neighbor's who keep bees, except such 

 as will join in and feed too, or at least pay 

 their share of the necessary expense. See 

 " Open Air Feeding" on another page. 



^— & — *■ — — — — ■ — 



THE STATV»AK» HIVE. 



fjjRIEND NOVICE :— As you are agitating the hive 

 question somewhat, I will add my mite. 

 I have used several long hives the past season 

 and like them better than any other hives I ever used, 

 the most of mine are 30 inches long inside, in which I 

 can place 20 frames 10xl4}£ inches, or I can insert 

 fewer frames and place G small boxes on either side. 



I think this size large enough for any swarm, I have 

 tried some with the entrance in the end as in the New 

 Idea, and others with the entrance in the side, and 

 prefer the latter.' Last season a medium sized swarm 

 in one of these hives tilled 24 boxes after June 12. 

 Swai-ms wintered on their summer stands in these 

 hives, and on natural stores gathered early in the sea- 

 son, wintered splendidly; while those swarms on 

 which the Extractor was freely used, and artificial 

 swarms made late in the season were very badly 

 affected with dysentery in any kind of hives. 



Knowersville, N. Y. W. D. Wright. 



We really cannot see why, the entrance may 

 not as well be in one part of the hive as anoth- 

 er, aud in fact would suppose that by having 

 it at the sides and thus saving them the task 

 of going some little distance on foot, there 

 might be an economy of valuable strength. 

 However, as we have made no direct experi- 

 ments of the kind, we of course should not 

 decide hastily. 



Our bees wintered well, but the spring is hard. We 

 are doubling up considerably— killing the poorest 

 Queens. We have 135 colonies, use combs 11 inches 

 deep by 14 wide, hive l&X from front to rear. We use 

 division board — hives hold from 9 to 20 frames. 



Border Plains, Iowa. G. M. Dale. 



Doubling up our own colonies might have 

 saved some, but as some that we should have 

 doubled arc doing finely, and some that we 

 should not, have done badly, and as there is 

 considerable risk of having Queens killed by 



so doing in the spring, we can hardly think it 

 advisable after all. Our friend's frames are 

 just V£ inch longer than our Standard, and L 4 

 less in depth. Such is, not life, but, American 

 Bee-keeper's frames and hives ; all good with- 

 out doubt, but no uniformit}*. 



Think I have now decided to retain my Am. frame,, 

 after ripping off the projections of top bar with Buzz- 

 saw, and put them into a hive like your "Standard.'" 

 Have made and sold the Am. hive for 3 years in this 

 vicinity, and that would be a strong reason for me to 

 still use that sized frames 



Farina, Ills. T. P. Andrews. 



Had we the Am. frame, 12x12, we think we 

 should retain it. 



DEAR NOVICE:— My frames 12 x 12 are not divide 1 

 by cross bars, as you suppose in your answer in. 

 Gleanings for March. They are my old Debeauvoy's 

 frames mended a la Langstroth ; therefore no woo I 

 across the combs interfered with the laving of the 

 Queen, which was greatly superior to that of any 

 Quinby hives. 



I see that you now think the size of the new Adair 

 sections better than that of the Langstroth frame. 

 I would prefer larger frames, especially if I intended 

 to dispense with two stories. For ease of manage- 

 ment it is more speedy to lift 8 frames than 11, let me 

 also tell you that a Quinby frame, when full, never 

 weighs more than 10 lbs., so that a child, or a young 

 lady, can very easily transport them. If I were t.t 

 start an apiary, I would prefer frames lo inches loni 

 and 12 wide, inside measure, and I think that if we 

 had to establish a Standard that measure would be 

 the best. 



In the March number (1S73) of the French Bee Joui- 

 nal, L' Apicutteur, a bee-keeper is said to have coun- 

 ted more than 5000 eggs deposited daily by a Queen. 

 The hive used had 14 frames sixteen inches both ways. 

 I have never been able to get more than 3700 eggs 

 daily, I think therefore that the large surface of the 

 combs had something to do with the increased laying. 



Who will decide about the American Standard ? My 

 opinion is that we will have to get the advice of those 

 who have used several sizes on a large scale ; and not 

 to imitate the Italian bee-keeper's, who were so hasty 

 in that matter. 



Hamilton, Ills. Ciias. Dadaxt, 



We have no doubt but that a large comb 

 surface is an advantage to a heavy colony, but 

 if the combs are carefully watched and an 

 empty one interposed at the proper intervals, 

 we think the difference would be but little. If 

 we use a comb much broader than- 13% (our 

 standard) 'twill be difficult making the cover 

 and bottom of a single board ; also with the 

 long hives we shall, when operating them, 

 have to stand at the side, and to get hold of 

 both ends oi the comb will, if the comb is very 

 broad and heavy, oblige us to stoop over in a 

 way that is very tiresome. In calling this our 

 Standard, it is not with the expectation that 

 all will adopt it, only that some who can com- 

 mence as well as not on a "beaten track" will 

 do so. Orders are sent us for frames of a mul- 

 titude of different dimensions, but there seems 

 to be more of a disposition to centre about (as 

 it were) ll^xlS*^, hence we adopt that a? a 

 standard. If the mass of Bee-keeper's demand 

 a larger one for a Standard, of course we shall 

 agree to it. 



The Langstroth and American seem to be 

 most in use, but they are so unlike, that the 

 use of both, in an apiary makes much confu- 

 sion. As Ave have given several appeals in 

 favor of a larger frame, we will listen to one of 

 the advocates of the other extreme; and friend 

 Davis is a successful Apiarist, so far as honey 

 is concerned at least, as we happen to know. 



Hurrah- ! our bees are. all right with two exceptions, 

 one lost its Queen, and the other is rather light. This 

 is better than I ever wintered before. By the by I 

 have wintered cue Qucenless stock, in tip-top eondi- 



