GLEANINGS IN BEK CULTUKE 



GENERAL COMMESPONDENCE 



EIGHT OR TEN FRAME HIVES 



BY E. P. ATWATER 



There have been some differences of 

 opinion as to the proper inside widths of 

 our " standard " hives. As I have done a 

 large part of the frame manipulation of an 

 average of 1000 colonies, from one to six 

 stories high, for a number of years, per- 

 haps my opinion may have some weight. 



C. P. Dadant says, "Properly made hives 

 should have the same space, per frame, 

 whether they are twelve-frame hives or six- 

 frame." Dr. Miller says, "Aye, they should 

 have; but they don't have — at least eight- 

 frame and ten-frame hives don't." 



The inside width of the standard eight- 

 frame hive is 121/8 inches, or V/s inches 

 more than is occupied by the eight self- 

 spacing frames (which occupy 11 inches). 

 The standard ten-frame hive is 14^4 inches 

 wide inside, though one manufacturer has 

 adopted a new width of 141/2 inches. 



Now, as the eight-frame hive is admitted- 

 ly going out, there is no need to correct its 

 shortcomings. As the eight-frame hive has 

 room for eight frames, and a thin division- 

 board (not over % inch thick), it is seri- 

 ously faulty. That flimsy, worthless fol- 

 lower is one of the worst nuisances ever 

 put in a hive. 



If pi'opolis is at all plentiful the division- 

 board is often broken when being removed, 

 and sooner or later is left out entirely, and 

 the self-spacing feature of the frames vir- 

 tually destroyed. If tightly crowded to- 

 gether, comb will be built at the sides, as 

 there is too much space there. 



The great mistake in the first place was 

 in not making a nine-frame hive. Then the 

 advocate of an eight-frame brood-nest could 

 use eight frames and a heavy dummy, to 

 take the place of the ninth frame. Upon 

 the removal of the dummy there would be 

 ample I'oom to manipulate the frames. The 

 heavy dummy would last for years — noth- 

 ing flimsy about it. 



For several years I had 200 hives vvitli 

 sides only % inch thick, which gave a nine- 

 frame space inside, outside width 14 inches. 

 These tier to good advantage with all eight- 

 frame equipment, and contain eight frames 

 and a heavy dummy. They were far more 

 satisfactory for brood-nests than the usual 

 eight-frame inside width with the toy divi- 

 sion-board, and had the additional advan- 

 tage of giving a little more room for honey, 



when used as extracting-supers. Sometimes 

 we used nine frames in the brood-nest. 



If such nine-frame hive had been adopted 

 years ago, today it might easily be an al- 

 most universal standard, as the ten-frame 

 is not enough larger to justify the existence 

 of two sizes. The nine-frame hive is exten- 

 sively used in Utah and Califoi'nia. 



But the tide has set in so strongly to the 

 ten-frame hive, and tens of thousands of 

 them are in use, of a width of 14^4 inside, 

 16 outside. Anything wider makes endless 

 confusion for those who have telescope lids. 

 Therefore I am confident that it is a serious 

 mistake to make the ten-frame hive 16^4 

 width outside. 



No one with much experience Avith the 

 Hoffman frame will contend that the 161/4 

 width gives room for the use of even the 

 hopelessly frail division-board beside the 

 frames. True, at times the removal of the 

 first Hoffman frame is quite difficult, with 

 the standard width, outside, of 16 inches 

 or 1414 inside. 



If a little more space is desirable, better 

 by far to continue the old sixteen-ineh stan- 

 dard width, outside, and make the sides of 

 13-16, or even % inch lumber, to gain i/g 

 or y^ inch more inside width. I have thou- 

 sands of hive sides Ya to 13-16 inch thick, 

 and there is no appreciable difference in 

 strength or durability, compared with the 

 full % thickness. 



This change should meet the approval of 

 all supply dealers, as even now several firms 

 have had to give up the use of full yg-inch 

 lumber, as most mills do not saw lumber 

 that can be dressed on two sides, and be 

 over 13-16 inch thick. 



If the advocates of the eight-frame hives 

 could be compelled for five years to use 

 the ten-frame size, with nine frames and a 

 heavy dummy, there would not thereafter 

 be much call for eight-frame hives. The 

 ten-frame hive with nine frames and a 

 heavy dummy, or division-board, is a splen- 

 did comb-honey hive, and, if j'ou have a 

 good ten-frame strain of bees you can use 

 the full ten-frame brood-nest. 



For many years I was an advocate of tlie 

 eight-frame hive, but using many of the 

 tens all along. A few years ago experience 

 proved that anything that could be done 

 with the small hive could be as well or 



