THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



1H5 



bee-keepers are using- them, probably 

 never having tried any other. In 

 American Bee Journal, 1904, page 2'I2, 

 twenty-six old practical bee-keepers 

 express their opinion and half of them 

 are ag^ainst any self-spacing- frame; 

 only three are in favor of the Hoffman 

 frames. This should set the bee-keep- 

 ing fraternity to thinking-. 



We will consider now whiit advan- 

 tag-es are claimed for the Hoffman 

 frame, and what disadvantages for 

 frames spaced by notches in the rab- 

 bet. In Gleaning, 1903, page 443, 

 P^ditor Root criticises in a foot-note 

 such rabbet-spruced frames. He says: 



"* * '^' I have yet to know of a 

 case where it is used very extensively 

 b}' any bee-keeper who produces tons 

 of honey. & * *" 



Well, I used them many years, hav- 

 ing other frames for experiments only, 

 and I produce 10 to 2U tons of honey 

 annually. In all these experiments I 

 have not found a device which I would 

 prefer. 



"-X- -X- * ji^ frame spacing rabbet 

 in the hive does not permit of the move- 

 ment of the frames from one side of the 

 hive to the other without taking them 

 out one b}' one. "* '* *" 



How this movement of frames from 

 one side of the hive to the other pans 

 out in practice with the Hoffman frame 

 I have mentioned alreadj'. The frames 

 can be worked this way all right, if 

 the hive is occupied by a nucleus and a 

 few weeks only at this; if a full colony 

 is working- in the hive for several sea- 

 sons, the thing does not work any 

 more, exactly as it was said by the old 

 bee-keepers, who had some experience 

 with similar frames some years ago. 

 Sorry to say, that the foul-brood in- 

 spectors of several States had to go 

 throug-h the same experience ag-ain. 

 With a rabbet spaced frame it is by no 

 means necessary to take out all the 

 flames one by one, or a large part of 

 them, even if spreading of the brood is 

 used. We can spread the brood-frames 

 without taking them out of the hive en- 

 tirely and can do it in less time than 

 we can get a move on the first Hoffman 

 frame in the middle of a brood-nest. 

 If this movement of the Hoffman frames 

 in groups is so great an advantage in 

 spreading the brood, why does the bee- 

 keeper, who since man^' years recom- 

 mended this operation and who cer- 

 tainly handles the frames for this pur- 

 pose more than any other bee-keeper, 

 G. M. Doolittle, say : "No fixed frames 

 for me ?" 



''* * * Still another serious objec- 

 tion is that frames of this type cannot 

 be handled in groups of two, three and 

 four. Modern bee-keeping demands 

 that the brood-nest shall be manipu- 

 lated in halves or quarters to a great 

 extent. Any system that requires the 

 separate manipulation of each frame 

 must be considered a failure." 



My frames can be handled in groups 

 of two or three by placing a finger be- 

 tween two frames, as Doolitttle has 

 described several times. If modern 

 bee-keeping- demands Ruy ptirticular 

 thing, it is that the brood-nest shall be 

 manipulated as little as possible, hive- 

 stories should be manipulated and not 

 frames. Anj' system that requires 

 much handling- of frames is a failure. 

 We handle brood frames in making 

 shook swarms. In this case every 

 frame must be handled anyhow. If 

 we look for foul brood in the hive, 

 every frame must be handled. Spread- 

 ing of the brood I estimate as a useless 

 and dangerous manipulation, if the 

 correct size of a hive and a proper 

 management is adopted. For queen- 

 rearing, too, I have to handle brood- 

 frames; in all these cases Hoffman 

 frames hinder manipulation consider- 

 ably and have not a single advantage. 



Nevertheless, the main objection to 

 the Hoflman frame for a large bee- 

 keeper is not so great if used in the 

 brood-chamber only. The brood-frames 

 are not handled very often, if it is nec- 

 essary to handle them, and it takes 

 more time to do it, we maj' bear it, at 

 least, if the man does not know a better 

 waj'. If it should be necessary I 

 would get along even with combs in 

 brood-chamber not movable at all. A 

 foul-brood inspector may curse once in 

 a while, but we do not make our hives 

 for the inspector. 



The main objection to fixed frames 

 of theHoffman style is, if they are used 

 in the supers and extracted hone}^ is 

 produced, the wide side-bars, staples 

 ornails are hindrances inuncapping the 

 combs quickly; the^'catch into the wire 

 netting of the extractor and in taking 

 them out of the supers full of honey, and 

 setting them back into the supers takes 

 considerable more time than with my 

 other frames. I have during'-many years 

 used such Ideal supers with Hoffman 

 frames, because I like to use standard 

 implements. I was willing to use these 

 supers exclusively, if they would prove 

 as good as my old supers, but they did 

 not. As often as such supers are 

 brought from the apiary into the honey- 



