Published Monthly by The W. T. Falconer Mfg. Co. 



Vol. XIII 



JULY, 1903 



No. 7 



FROM MISSISSIPPI. 



Several Subjects Discussed by Ome of the Vet- 

 erans. 



(Dr. O. M. Blanton.) 



ADVANTAGES OF THE ONE-STORY HIVE. 



1^' WORKING two-story hives for 

 extracted honey there is a complete 

 evolution of combs from the lower 

 to the upper story every year. The 

 tendency of the bees is to ascend to 

 the upper story to deposit honey and 

 the queen follows to deposit her eggs 

 where the food for tlie young is most 

 abundant. The result is the honey 

 deposited in the lower story is con- 

 sumed or carried to the upper and in 

 the close of the season the low- 

 er combs are. to a great extent, empty, 

 requiring the combs of honey and 

 brood in upper story to be removed 

 to lower and vice versa. This process 

 entails a great aniount of work. 



To place the brood with what honey 

 is necessary in the lower story and 

 remove all together to the upper story 

 combs at close of season is impracti- 

 cable in our country, where we have 

 to store them secure from the moths. 



To construct a house and fumigate 

 the combs would be too expensive in 

 a large apiary. With a one-story hive 

 the above trouble would be obviated, 

 and the bees could pi-otect all the 

 combs from moths. With sheet or 

 board cover the combs could be easily 

 exposed and the combs of surplus hon- 

 ey removed with ease and rapidity and 

 the condition of coml»s inspected and 



regulated easily; a great desideratum. 



I prefer all one-story hives, with 

 from 18 to 20 Langstroth frames with 

 division Ijoard and to-~add the frames 

 as requii'ed. 



THE doctor's start 



In 1874 I captured a large swarm in 

 a common box; purchased soon after 

 ten Langstroth hives and increased to 

 that number. 



Finding the yield of honey so great 

 I visited my friend, Chas. F. Muth, of 

 Cincinnati, and gained from him a 

 great amount of apicultural knowledge. 

 I increased from time to time to four 

 hundred colonies, but from various 

 causes am now only in possession of 

 one hundred and ninety-five, Itut hope 

 yet to reach my previous number. 



My largest yield was fourteen gal- 

 lons to the hive, spring count, owing 

 to an exceptional season. Such can- 

 not be realized now as the forest is 

 almost entirely destroyed near me. I 

 have averaged in all seasons about five 

 gallons per colony, spring count. 



CONTENDING AGAINST THE NATURE OF 

 THE BEE 



Many of the new inventions and 

 modes of management of an apiai-y 

 are in direct opposition to the nature 

 of the bee. Queen excluders give a 

 disposition to the bees to swarm in- 

 stead of working in the upper story 

 for surplus honey. 



In regard to the drone trap it pre- 

 vents their services as designed in the 

 ov.uanization of the colony. Much is 

 vet to be learned in rc>gard to the du- 



