374 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



May 25, 1905 



comb temporarily removed from a hive, with the bees upon 

 it. For temporary exhibition of one comb this has its 

 place ; but as an observation hive it is a misnomer and a 

 failure. From their unnatural surroundings, and from the 

 fact that they ha.ve no facilities for clustering between pro- 

 tecting combs for warmth, and especially since the bees 

 soon die in it, my opinion is that the contrivance would 

 better be named a tribulation or devastation hive. Another 

 apparatus, originating in England, and intended to secure 

 the desired result, has been made of two series of frames 

 with four or five in each vertical row ! Could anything be 

 more absurd as a matter of ingenuity, or further removed 

 from the natural condition in the natural hive 7 I can 

 imagine nothing. 



These facts, united with the belief that the honey-bees 

 are unexcelled in interest from the nature-study standpoint, 

 have impelled me for months to study the subject, and to 

 plan what now seems to be an ideal educational bee-hive, 

 and I have intrusted its manufacture to The A. I. Root 

 Company, who have had extensive experience in building 

 hives for the honey-gatherer; and who are in full sympathy 

 with the nature-study conditions, and who, furthermore, 

 have unexcelled facilities for fine workmanship. The hive 

 is to be made in finely finished pine, ash, or oak, and glaEed 

 in first-quality glass. 



The essential feature is an observation chainber backed 

 by a force of bees in regular body hive with glass sides. 



As the physicist has a battery or motor from which he 

 takes out electricity for such experiments or observations 

 as he may desire to make with special apparatus, so here 

 *he bee naturalist is provided with the ability to make ob- 

 servations and experiments. 



The chamber is supplied with a padded division-board, 

 which serves to divide it into two hives, and which is also 

 useful as a background for photographing results obtained 

 in either apartment. The bees may be readily isolated as a 

 separate colony in either section for artificial feeding, for 

 rustic comb-building, or for other purposes. The chamber 

 is deeper than the body of the hive, so that the entire ex- 

 tent of the regular frame or other comb-support may be 

 seen or photographed. 



Under each half -chamber is an ingenious arrangement 

 of slot and bee-escape. When the thin metal cover is drawn 

 entirely out, bees go in or out freely ; when half in, the 

 bees go out only, and the chamber is soon cleared. Push 

 the metal plate entirely in, and the bees go neither in nor 

 out, but may be instantly removed to another hive for ex- 

 perimental purposes. Not a bee can then take flight to 

 freedom, and there is not the slightest possibility of being 

 stung. By using one or both of these sliding covers, the 

 hive is readily made into two or three hives. Holes in the 

 top are supplied with caps and with jar feeders. 



Observation Sdpkr. — A regular Danzenbaker super 

 with 32 4x5 sections is the third story of the hive. This is 

 supplied with observation sides, which give clear exposure 

 from the top to the bottom of the outer sections. 



Removable Hives.— Above this are two traveling hives 

 for temporary exhibition. Bees are let into this by slot and 

 escape device (as is done with each half of the observation 

 chamber), so that bees may be carried from place to place or 

 be used for class exhibition, or for nuclei experiments, and 

 without the slightest danger of loss or injury either to the 

 insects or to the apiarist. Both have the regular mouth 

 opening for use as a single isolated hive. Many experi- 

 ments that can not be made in the divided observation- 

 chamber can be performed in these removable hives. 



Magnifying Feeder.— This is on the end opposite the 

 mouth of the main hive, and is so arranged that the ob- 

 server, looking through a powerful lens, faces the window 

 at which the whole hive is located. The top and back of 

 this feeder are of glass. Diluted honey or simple syrup is 

 put in small quantities in a trough one-eighth of an inch 

 wide. Bees stand on an elevated glass shelf, and each one 

 takes the sweets from the narrow space between the two 

 glasses, as it takes the nectar from the flower. Collectively 

 they have the appearance of " feeding at the trough like 

 little pigs." 



The powerful lens slides back and forth so as to give a 

 view of any portion of this trough, wherever " the best feed- 

 ing " is in progress. The lens is set one-eighth out of cen- 

 ter from top to bottom, so that by turning the supporting- 

 block, a range of adjustment of one-fourth of an inch up or 

 down is given. A delicate focusing adjustment is provided 

 by a screw with a range of three-fourths of an inch. This 

 lens shows the heads and proboscides of the feeding bees in 

 a wonderfully interesting manner. 



The bottom of the feeder is provided with slot and slide 

 as an escape device, previously described, aud the whole is 

 easily taken from the hive by the slides and carried to a 

 window for closer observation, or it may be passed around 

 to members of a class or to visitors. 



Artificial Feeding. — Between this magnifying-feeder 

 and the end of the hive which has the mouth opening there 

 are two jar feeders with perforated caps. These are so 

 arranged that one is over each half of the observation 

 chamber. The hive is also provided with a Doolittle divis- 

 ion-board feeder that may be placed in the main hive, in 

 either observation chamber or in the one or two removable 

 hives. From these last the cover may be taken off and the 

 feeder put in without the escape of bees, provided the slid- 

 ing cover is previously pushed in half way, so that the por- 

 table hive is cleared through the Porter escape. 



Flying Cage and Observation Box-Hive. — This at- 

 tachment, like the magnifying-feeder, is not supplied reg- 

 ularly with the hive, but is regarded as an extra. It will be 

 found very serviceable in a variety of experiments. Three 

 sides are of glass. The other has non-rustible wire-netting. 

 This netting is placed next to the main hive in place of the 

 tube entrance. A long slot through the lower part of the 

 frame matches the mouth opening of the main hive. The 

 purpose of this flying cage is to provide a place in which 

 the bees may fly when the hive is set up in a room away 

 from a window for observation, instruction, or exhibition. 

 This will be found very serviceable for use in fairs, and for 

 temporary exhibition in schools, also for advertising pur- 

 poses, and when placed with the entire hive in the show- 

 window of a store. 



This cage is hive-size, and takes on the top the regular 

 cover, the feeding-board, with the main hive or supers. At 

 the upper and lower portions are places for feeding. The 

 inside of the hive is regularly fitted with supports for regu- 

 lar frames, or for rustic sticks. In this manner it may be 

 used in imitation of the original bee-trees, the whole being 

 covered with paper, cloth, or other material for making the 

 interior dark. When this covering is removed, the entire 

 inside of the bee-tree with rustic cross-sticks may be readily 

 seen. 



When the cage is not thus used in connection with the 

 main hive, it is turned around so as to face in the same 

 direction as the other hive, and both are then side by side 

 at the window, with two tube entrances as two separate 

 hives. A large base-board is provided for the hives when 

 used in combination. This cage is so designed that it may 

 readily serve many other natural-history purposes. It is 

 unexcelled in convenience as a transforming-cage for 

 lepidoptera or for aquatic insects. For the last-mentioned 

 purpose bowls or dishes of water to hold the aquatic speci- 

 mens are placed in the lower section. 



When used as a larval feeding-cage, pots of earth with 

 growing plants, or broken branches placed in bottles of 

 water which are set in the earth in the pots, may be placed 

 in the lower section. 



The main hive is fitted with the Danzenbaker entrance- 

 stops. The bottom-board is clamped to the main hive by 

 the Van Deusen hive-clamp. 



The alighting-boards of the tube entrances take Alley's 

 queen and drone trap, bee-guards, etc. It is recommended 

 that the Root queen-rearing outfit be purhased in connection 

 with the hive. 



Another very useful accessory is an observation lens 

 five inches in diameter. 



With the complete hive, the magnifying-feeder, the 

 flying-cage, and observation box hive, the Root queen-rear- 

 ing outfit, and the observation lens, facilities are afi^orded 

 for every phase of apiarian observation, experiment, in- 

 struction, pleasure, or exhibition. At last we have an 

 observation hive worthy the subject. The optical parts are 

 by one of the most famous and extensive manufacturers of 

 lenses in the world. The woodwork and bee-appliances are 

 by the largest manufacturing establishment of apiarian 

 apparatus. 



I have not tried to produce a cheap or simple hive, but 

 rather one which the bees and their friends have long 

 merited. I am confident that all concerned will be pleased. 



Contrary to the advice of many friends who have known 

 of my prolonged study and work on this hive, I have refused 

 to take out a patent. On the contrary, I have arranged 

 with the manufacturers to have the hive and all its acces- 

 sories placed on the market at the cost of production. Con- 

 sidering the detail and workmanship, I regard the price as 

 barely covering cost of labor and materials. I am confident 

 that the hive-manufacturers must look for profit to the sale 



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