1196 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 1 



FIG. 2. — HOLLAND SERIES. MR. MATTHES AND HIS HELPERS AMONG THEIR PETS ON THE HEATH. 



BEE-KEEPING IN HOLLAND. 



A Visit to the Largest Modern Bee-farm in 

 Holland. 



BY J. H. J. HAMELBEFG. 



Although apiculture in Holland is not of so 

 much importance as it is in the United States it 

 may, perhaps, interest some Gleanings readers 

 to learn something about it. 



Movable-frame hives have only lately come in- 

 to general use. It is not many years ago that a 

 modern hive was considered quite a novelty on 

 our bee-farms. Of course, we have had the large 

 Gravenhorst straw hive with movable frames, 

 which is still a favorite with many bee-keepers, 

 and deservedly so, as it is a hive in which bees 

 winter uncommonly well. Its clumsiness is the 

 principal objection. Then there have been in 

 use the Berlepsch, the Alberti, and the Gerstung 

 hive; but the impractical way in which their 

 frames had to be handled, and their cost, made 

 them unpopular. It is only after the American 

 system of handling frames from above had be- 

 come better known that modern hives gained in 

 popularity. As yet, however, the old-fashioned 

 straw skep is most generally used here; and, when 

 visiting our heather-field in the right season, one 

 can certainly count five skeps to one movable- 

 frame hive. 



It is at " The Bee," the apiary of Mr. Hans 

 Matthes, at the quaint old village of Breukelen, 

 where modern apiculture is practiced on the larg- 



est scale in this country. Three years ago Mr. 

 Matthes started in business with 200 colonies in 

 straw skeps, which he transferred to modern hives, 

 the invention of his foreman, Mr. R. Tukker, a 

 bee-master of repute and extensive experience. 



The Tukker hive is a divisible-brood-chamber 

 hive measuring outside 20X15;?4 inches square, 

 and 18 inches high. Within this body are hung, 

 on cleats, two separate boxes, one on top of the 

 other, each measuring 15^4 X11^4^X5j^ inches, 

 thus leaving an empty space between the inner 

 wall of the box and the brood-chamber, thus 

 making the hive practically double- walled. Each 

 of these brood-bodies contains 8 hanging all-wood 

 frames 14,34X444; and supers with the same 

 frames can be placed on top. 



With this hive Mr. M. has to handle one kind 

 of frame only; and, working mostly for extracted 

 honey, he claims this to be of great advantage, 

 although it would seem the Tukker hive could 

 be improved by having the two brood-bodies in 

 separate casings in order to prevent disturbing the 

 bees when the under box has to be gotten at, which 

 now can not be done without first lifting out the 

 upper box and exposing the bees to the inclemen- 

 cies of the weather, unless a separate super is car- 

 ried around when examining the hives. How- 

 ever, Mr. Matthes and Mr. Tukker are well sat- 

 isfied with their kind of hive. 



To make the most of the honey crop in this 

 country, it is absolutely necesary to travel with 

 the bees. Early in the season, generally about 

 May 15, Mr. M. goes with his colonies to Haar- 



