Mar. 15, liH2 



IS THE LANGSTROTH FRAME TOO SMALL? 



The Size or Shape of Frames Not a Factor in Win- 

 tering 



BY F. P. CLARE. 



As Mr. Simmins' article in the January 

 issue of the Canadian Bee Journal may be 

 confusing to beginners, and as Mr. S. in- 

 vites criticism, I write to draw attention to 

 what appears to me some of the errors in the 

 ideas he advances. He asserts positively 

 that the Langstroth frame is too shallow for 

 successful ivintering, indoors or out, and too 

 small for the honey season in any locality, 

 and then, in the next breath, urges beekeep- 

 ers to use a frame of less than three inches 

 greater capacity. Laughable, is it not? 

 Is it, Mr. Editor, a matter of " location mak- 

 ing the difference"? Scores of us have 

 proved here in Ontario that successful win- 

 tering is secured, every time, by the quantity 

 and quality of winter stores, and not by the 

 size or sheipe of the frame. 



With an experience of over 30 years, with 

 (at one time) 260 colonies of bees in 15, 12, 

 10, and 8 inch depth hives, I assert positive- 

 ly that, with an abundance of good stores, 

 in a proper repository, bees will winter as 

 successfully on the Langstroth frame as up- 

 on any frame with which I am acquainted. 



If I were starting in the business again I 

 would use no other, and ten of them in a 

 hive. The points of superiority are many. 

 Ten-inch lumber for the construction of 

 hives can be procured quite readily, which 

 is not as true of a deeper hive. When it 

 comes to securing the harvest, by tiering 

 up as well as placing in winter quarters, 

 where do you find its superior? 



The larger the hive, the greater the quan- 

 tity of bees produced, and the larger the 

 amount of honey stored, is Mr. Simmins' 

 reasoning. Possibly this may be true of 

 some locations, but it certainly is not true 

 of this part of Ontario. A queen that will 

 keep eight Langstroth frames full of brood 

 will have to lay over 2500 eggs daily for 

 weeks at a time. Where can queens be 

 found that will average better than this? 

 Allowing two frames for honey and bee- 

 bread, we have ten frames which experience 

 has pro^•ed are ample for an average queen 

 in most seasons and locations. 



Xow, if this capacity is doubled, what 

 will be the result? Beebread and brood 

 through both stories, if two stories are used 

 and honey stored in the brood nest that 

 should have gone into the super above the 

 queen excluder. In addition to this, honey 

 will be used by the bees, if not pure Italians, 

 to raise thousands of bees that are too late in 

 coming upon the stage of action to be of any 

 value in securing the crop of white honey. 

 "While great numbers of bees are all-impor- 

 tant at the right time, out of season they 

 are a detriment. 



Mr. Simmins blames the eight and ten 

 frame Langstroth hives for the average crop 

 reported by Mr. Root. Does not Mr. Sim- 

 mins know that atmospheric conditions. 



179 



over which the beekeeper has no control, 

 generally determine the amount df honey 

 stored? Who has not been disapjwini' d in 

 returns when bees were booming at tlie be- 

 ginning of the harvest? Is the size of hive 

 to blame for this? Thousands of colonies of 

 bees are still kept in Viox hives and " gums " 

 in mountainous regions and through the 

 Southern States, and all these pull down the 

 general average; but no intelligent beekeep- 

 er considers Mr. R.'s figures as the average 

 of his apiary. 



In conclusion, Mr. S., permit me to in- 

 form you that a crop of from 200 to 400 

 pounds of extracted honey has actually been 

 produced by users of the despised Lang- 

 stroth frame, and by those who have kept 

 their bees in eight and ten frame Langstroth 

 hives. 



And now, Mr. S., I want you to take your 

 pencil and figure out the bees that would be 

 in a hive that contains the "equivalent of 

 two 16 X 10-inch eleven-frame chambers 

 crammed solid with brood." 



Allowing 8)4x15)4 inches of brood comb 

 to each frame, there are about 2882 inches 

 of brood. Allowing 50 bees to the square 

 inch, the result is 144,100 bees. Now allow 

 as many more bees in the hive to care for 

 the brood and to gather honey, and there 

 will be 288,200 bees or about GO'lbs. of bees. 

 Such a colony should store 600 pounds easi- 

 ly, and the mother of that stock — is she for 

 sale? and what will you take for her? Kind- 

 ly address at once, and mark the letter rush. 

 ' Toronto, Canada. 



[If Mr. Simmins were more familiar with 

 the diverse conditions in this country, with 

 all shades of climate and temperature, he 

 would not make the statement that a 10x16 

 frame would enable us to do better winter- 

 ing than now or to secure more honey. The 

 Jumbo hive, with frames slightly larger, 

 have been sold for years; but there is com- 

 paratively little demand for them. More 

 and more the tendency seems to be to get 

 back to the original Langstroth frame. 

 From 1885 to 1890 there was a rage for shal- 

 low frames. During the latter part of the 

 '90's there seemed to be a tendency toward 

 the Qumby or Jumbo frame; but years of 

 experience seemed to lead back to father 

 Langstroth. During the early '80's the 

 whole beekeeping world swung from the 

 ten-frame Langstroth to the eight-frame; 

 and now we are swinging back from the 

 eight to the ten. There was formerly a be- 

 lief that a deep frame would winter bees 

 better than the Langstroth; but when these 

 frames were tested side by side, year in and 

 year out, the Langstroth always seemed to 

 hold its own. It Is indeed remarkable that 

 father Langstroth was so nearly right in 

 so many things. While this winter may 

 prove to be a severe one on bees, the size or 

 shape of the frame will have nothing to do 

 with it. — Ed.] 



Pyrox fills the barrel with the apples that used to 

 be on top. Write Bowker Insecticide Co., Boston, 

 for book. 



