1889 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



269 



With an eight - frame hive, however, we 

 must many times begin feeding as soon as 

 the surplus honey is removed from above. 

 This is especially the case with black bees ; 

 so you see, friends, it depends much on the 

 kind of man as to the number of combs we 

 should have in the brood-chamber. 



Question llfi.— Do you prefer the closed end or 

 hanging frame? Give reasons. 



I have never used any closed-end frames. 



O. O. Poppleton. 

 Hanging frames, because they are so much easi- 

 er to work with. P. L. Viallon. 



The hanging frame, on account of greater ease of 

 manipulation and less injury to bees. R. Wilkin. 



I use and prefer the L. hanging frame, and pre- 

 fer it for ease of manipulation. 



Mrs. L. Harrison. 



Hanging frames. I think they are more easily 

 handled, and more perfect in their adjustment. 



H. R. Boardman. 



I prefer the hanging frame. There are many 

 reasons, but chief among them is ease of manipula- 

 tion. Geo. Grimm. 



Hanging for L. frames— that is, in a common L. 

 hive; the combs can be moved so as to make room 

 to get out the first frame. E. France. 



Hanging frames. Principally because they are 

 more easily manipulated, and are not so liable to 

 kill bees during manipulation. G. M. Doolittle. 



I prefer a hanging frame, for I work mostly for 

 extracted honey, and I want to remove them readi 

 ly. In my locality, or perhaps I should say with my 

 bees, every thing gels glued fast that it is possible 

 for them to fasten. A. B. Mason. 



Hanging. I think I should like the warmth of the 

 closed ends, but I think the hanging frames so 

 much easier to handle, and it is possible to move 

 them so as to vary their distances apart. I must 

 confess, however, that T never had much experi- 

 ence with closed ends. C. C. Miller. 



I prefer the hanging frame. To gain entrance to 

 the other kind is too much like breaking into a bur- 

 glar-proof saf e ; and to get out of the scrape and 

 close up, one adds wholesale murder to burglary. 

 Possibly familiarity with some better form of the 

 closed-end frame would mollify me somewhat; but 

 I do not think I shall ever be won over. 



E. E. Hasty. 



We have tried the closed-end frames, but we kill- 

 ed and enraged bees every time we opened the 

 hives. At one time we crushed a valuable queen, 

 and then resolved never to use these frames again. 

 The theory of manipulating hives instead of frames 

 can not hold with the pure Italian bees, which cling 

 to the combs so much that it is impossible to shake 

 them off. Dadant & Son. 



I want neither closed ends nor closed top-bars to 

 my frames, because a glance will tell me where, in 

 winter or spring, the cluster is, or where I may find 

 the queen. No bees need be killed by taking out 

 or replacing the frames, which can not be avoided 

 if the frames have closed ends or closed top-bars, 

 not to speak of the slower, unhandier process of 

 manipulation with the latter. Chas. F. Mdth. 



Hanging. Greater ease and convenience of han- 

 dling. 1 am still in doubt about the Heddon hive. 

 While it is certainly an admirable hive for the ex- 

 pert, I am not so sure for the beginner. I am not 

 ready to recommend it yet for all. A. J. Cook. 



I prefer the closed-end frame, because it is better 

 to winter and spring bees in, because it can be as 

 easily and rapidly manipulated as any, and it kills 

 as few bees as hanging frames, and because it is 

 the best hive for moving bees in. The new Quinby 

 hive, which we use, can also be contracted to suit 

 the requirements of the smallest colony, or enlarg- 

 ed for the strongest, without any extra division- 

 boards or extra pieces. P. H. Elwood. 



I prefer the closed-end frames as used in connec- 

 tion with the new hive; and my reasons in general 

 are, that, with the arrangement, I received the 

 numerous advantages long ago claimed which only 

 closed-end frames can give, and at the same time 

 do away with the past objections to closed-end 

 frames which really overcame their advantages as 

 compared with hanging frames. I deem this de- 

 partment too limited in space to go into an enu- 

 meration, or describe all the advantages and disad- 

 vantages. James Heddon. 



I very much prefer the closed-end frame, whether 

 standing or hanging. The first reason is the fact 

 that each space retains its own warmth so much 

 more Than when open; and I find, when tested side 

 by side, that, in early spring, I can build up light 

 stocks that would be lost with the open-end frame. 

 Capt. Hetherington once said to me, that he had 

 saved ICO stocks of bees that spring that would 

 have been lost had he used the open-end frame. I 

 believe one of the greatest secrets of success in 

 Julius Hoffman's management is in his use of a 

 frame closed part way down with enameled cloth, 

 pressed down upon the top of the frames. 



L. C. Root. 



I prefer a closed-end frame for my use. Such a 

 frame is, perhaps, not advisable for one who is 

 rearing queens or selling bees by the pound, nor 

 for the learner to gain knowledge and experience 

 most easily. But for the production of honey as a 

 business, in large apiaries, by those who have al- 

 ready served their apprenticeship, I believe closed- 

 end frames have decided advantages. While they 

 are not as movable as metal - cornered hanging 

 frames, they are sufficiently movable for all practi- 

 cal purposes, and they are immovable when you 

 want them so. A hive full of combs may be han- 

 dled as though it were a single piece instead of a 

 collection of loose pieces, thus saving work, worry, 

 and time. You are not obliged to stop to space the 

 frames every time they are handled. When a 

 swarm is hived in them you know the frames are 

 at the proper distance, and can not slide together, 

 producing crooked combs. If you use foundation 

 in wired frames, your combs will all be built 

 straight, even if the hive should not stand exactly 

 plumb. In carrying, handling, hauling, or ship- 

 ping, the frames do not need to be fastened, yet 

 can not slide together, killing bees and queens. 



James A. Green. 



Before I read any of the answers to the 

 above question I knew pretty well how it 

 would go. Out of 18 answers, 14 are in fa- 

 vor of hanging frames ;'but the other 4 are 

 men of such wide experience and reputation 



