126 



THE BEE-KEEPERS xi^ .' 



not less than four or five pounds of food ad- 

 jacent to each comb space. Outside the 

 cluster we have an equivalent to three combs 

 which should contain sufficient honey for 

 breeding until the flowers yield a supply. 

 An average of four and a half pounds per 

 comb would give 34 lbs. ; ample to support 

 any colony between the autumn and spring 

 flowers. Thirty-five pounds in eight frames 

 is more favorable to successful wintering, 

 than the same amount in ten or more frames. 



Although deep or square frames will best 

 accommodate the queen when laying, also 

 maintain a proper contour of the brood nest, 

 yet, with strong, well-wintered colonies, and 

 the condition of warmth maintained, breed- 

 ing will keep pace with the season even in 

 shallow frames. We must bear in mind that 

 until the combs become crowded with bees 

 and brood, the advantages of deep or square 

 frames are more theoretical than otherwise. 

 Previous to a crowded condition of the col- 

 ony, the queen is less impeded in her duties, 

 and the daily requisition in laying is much 

 below her ability. 



Of course, in determining the shape of 

 frames, the question of supering surface 

 must be taken into consideration. Here, I 

 think the majority of our most intelligent 

 bee-keepers agree that the length should ac- 

 commodate four rows of standard sections ; 

 if not, the supering surface will be insuf- 

 ficient in good localities and good seasons. 

 I take this opportunity to urge beginners in 

 bee culture to adhere to the Langstroth 

 frame in length, whatever depth be adopted ; 

 as any change to shallow frames can readily 

 be made if desired. This will enable us to 

 maintain a standard length. 



I am exceedingly enthusiastic over a suc- 

 cessful method of out-door wintering. My 

 experiments the past two winters have dem- 

 onstrated its superiority over that of cellars 

 or special repositories. I speak from ex- 

 perience, having wintered from sixty to 

 seventy colonies in a special repository, an- 

 nually for a series of years with scarcely any 

 loss. (With the editor's permission I will, 

 through the columns of the Review for 

 August or September, give an illustrated 

 description of the out- door method.) Un- 

 less my enthusiasm in it blinds my judg- 

 ment, I predict that the Langstroth depth 

 will be maintained as a standard North as 

 well as South. It is certainly a desirable 

 summer frame, and if made to serve in win- 

 tering, will become still more popular. 



Although the size, shape and number of 

 frames have also been thoroughly discussed 

 relative to the production of a maximum 

 amount of comb honey, I believe that noth- 

 ing short of a non-swarmer will determine 

 the question. The present excessive manip- 

 ulation practiced to prevent swarming, often 

 seriously interferes with the working of the 

 colony. At times they seem to sulk, and 

 absolutely refuse to store honey. Between 

 swarming, and the restricted impulse, a crop 

 of comb honey is rendered very uncertain in 

 seasons below the average. Under such cir- 

 cumstances, it is not strange to find experi- 

 menters endeavoring to determine whether 

 any advantage may be found in eight or ten 

 frames, deep or shallow, storifying, etc. My 

 experience with non-swarmers the past sea- 

 son has fully convinced me, that colonies up- 

 on eight frames of brood — populous beyond 

 that of swarming — and having no desire to 

 swarm ; are capable of storing a good sur- 

 plus when swarming colonies, or those un- 

 der a restricted impulse, will store little or 

 nothing. With non-swarming hives the 

 crowded condition is obviated ; the queen is 

 not impeded in her work of laying, and as a 

 result the combs are more uuiformly filled 

 with brood. The laying capacity of most 

 queens seldom exceeds eight frames pre- 

 vious to the clover flow in this locality. In 

 many of mine but six or seven were filled 

 with brood, although a few were ready to 

 cast swarms during fruit bloom. These, af- 

 ter removing the outside combs, and pre- 

 pared as non-swarmers were kept solid with 

 brood throughout the season. The queen 

 being unimpeded in her work, more bees 

 were i)roduoed from seven combs than could 

 otherwise iiave been from eight or nine in 

 swarming hives. 



With a non-swarmer, I doubt very much 

 whether large hives will prove the most prof- 

 itable. The number of exceptionally pro- 

 lific (jueeus are usually balanced by those 

 colonies which, from various causes, are re- 

 tarded in breeding. I furnish these extra 

 strong colonies witl> additional frames con- 

 taining full sheets of foundation as required 

 — (I use an expansive hive.) Just previous 

 to the general honey flow, if sufliciently 

 warm, brood from these is given to the 

 weaker ones, again reducing the strong col- 

 onies to eight frames. 



Although in 18G0 I made my first eight- 

 frame hives, my experiments the last two 

 years, both as to wintering, and with non- 



