64 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



April 



to bear on the subject has not improved 

 upon its general principles- Since Fath- 

 er Langstroth put the finishing touch 

 on with his master hand. 



The long, shallow frame gives just 

 what was wanted half a century ago, 

 and is yet appreciated — the surplus re- 

 ceptacles right down on the brood 

 chamber so spread out as to utilize the 

 heat thereof to the best advantage. 



Now. Brother Kerr, that box-hive 

 comparison shocks my old rheumatic 

 bones fearfully. I don't believe you 

 would thus injure me knowingly. 



The idea of the box-hive being used 

 by "bee-keepersi" I arise in their de- 

 fense and say that Brother Kerr is mis- 

 taken, and demand that they be pointed 

 out. Is it Hetherington, Elwood, the 

 Coggshalls. Mclntire, and others of the 

 west; our Florida cousins, or was it 

 Osborne, the Cuban'.' Nay' Even 

 Rambler in all his travels, failed to find 

 "ye" box-hive "bee-keeper."' 



True, many bees are found in box- 

 hives, nail-kegs, cracker boxes, and 

 even round log gums, but they keep 

 themselves and are not kept, or o'wned 

 by practical apiarists: and few of their 

 owners know that the "king" is a 

 "queen." 



When you compare hives. Brother 

 Kerr, don't look around under hen 

 roosts, but go to the practical apiarist, 

 who makes the business a bread and 

 meat afifair, and see what hive they use 

 and I will guarantee that if all the other 

 styles of hives in use in America were 

 knocked down, they could be stored in 

 the supers of the Langstroth hives in 

 use. and not materially interfere with 

 the storing of surplus honey. Men do 

 not adopt a special make of a plow, 

 mower or self binder, nor a bee hive 

 through sentiment, but on account of 

 their adaptability to the work for which 

 they were intended. I have carefully in- 

 vestigated the claims of all the com- 

 peting hives, hoping to find a more per- 

 fect hive than the Langstroth. but have 

 failed so far. unless my judgment is at 

 fault. 



As to queen nurseries, that is a separ- 

 ate business. Many queen breeders use 

 a special-sized small frame, not found in 

 any make of hive. Others use their 

 regular hive frames, regardless of make 

 or size. If nuclei are kept as strong 

 as they should be to develop the best 

 queens, the L. frame is all rio-ht. 



A queen developed in a strong necleus 

 will commence laying 24 to .^6 houri^ 



sooner than one in a very weak nucleus, 

 thus proving the strong nuclei best. 



We should be careful not to lead be- 

 ginners astrav. Before I bought the 

 Langstroth I lost l)Oth money and time 

 on worthless patent hives. 



The hives named by Friend Kerr, 

 however, are in mj' opinion, good 

 hives, but if I thought tliem best, I 

 would be using them. 



In conclusion, I beg to advise that 

 I offer no hives for sale, therefore do 

 not write this from a dealer's stand- 

 point, and am in no way interested in 

 the manufacture or sale of anj' hive- 

 Spring Hill. Tenn., Jan- 25. 1902. 



Relating to Foul Brood. 



(By W. T. Stephenson.) 



^^T~'OUL. Broody" Straws: From 

 T^ my far more extensive, than 

 desiral)le experience, with the 

 great bee plague — foul brood — I have 

 found these points to be invariable. Pos- 

 sibly they may be of interest to some 

 one- 



When a colony becomes infected with 

 foul brood the bees are very irritable. 

 They are very offensive toward every- 

 thing — inanimate objects as well as liv- 

 ing. 



I had a foul broody apiary located 

 near a by-road, and the bees stung my 

 neighbors and their horses so badly 

 that they were compelled to quit pass- 

 ing the apiary. I had to don a wire- 

 cloth veil, which had previously been 

 unncessary. They were particularly ma- 

 licious toward anything black. If I 

 chanced to open the smoker a swarm 

 of angry bees %youId immediately at- 

 tack it. dozens falling into the fire 

 bax. Here is what I believe to be the 

 cause of the illenss: The bees are con- 

 stantly removing the dead larvae, and 

 they get more or less of the deadly 

 germs into their stomach, which makes 

 them like a man drunk on bad whis- 

 key — showing nothing but the verj-- 

 worst spirit they possess. 



In treating the disease, strong colo- 

 nies are very important- Their value 

 can hardly be overestimated. 



They seem, and eventually do have a 

 power to ward off disease, where weak 

 colonies, composed of old bees, would 

 be a fertile field for its development. 



Full sheets of foundation are of more 

 value in treating foul brood than many 



