THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



31 



[For tho American Boo Journal.] 



Brooding Temperature Again. 



There is an article in tlie March number of 

 the Bee Journal, headed "Brooding Temper- 

 ature," by J. D. Meador. This is a subject 

 that is but imper'ectly understood by a large 

 proportion of beekeepers. Yet it is one of vital 

 importance to all. Let us see if we cannot 

 say something respecting it that will be of some 

 interest. 



It has been said that this economising the 

 animal heat, so as to keep up the proper breed- 

 ing temperature, and also to save all the wax at 

 the same time, is one of Gallup's whims. Well, 

 friends, if you understand the theory, and will 

 put it in practice, you will find tliat it is one of 

 the best whims you ever obtained from Gallup. 

 To illustrate — let us take two hives to begin 

 with, of exactly the same form and dimensions. 

 The Quinby hive and the hive I use are both of 

 the same form and size, namely twelve inches 

 deep, twelve inches wide, and eighteen inches 

 long, inside measure. The difference is in the 

 arrangement of the frames. Mr. Quinby's go 

 the long way of the hive, while mine go the 

 short w^lJ^ Now we will use a division board 

 in both hives, and we will have a practical bee- 

 keeper to manage both hives. He will soon 

 find out that with the same quantitj^ of bees, 

 and with queens of equal fertility, at the same 

 time and under the same circumstances, the 

 hive first mentioned cannot be managed so as to 

 have every cell occupied with brood, so as to 

 save all the wax; while the other can be thus 

 managed. Furthermore, the hive with the 

 small frames can be managed so that double the 

 quantity of workers can be gathering outside ; 

 while, in the hive with the large frame, they 

 have to stay at home in order to keep up the 

 necessary heat to develop the brood. In the 

 hive with the large frame the bees are spread 

 out over too large a surface; whereas in the hive 

 with the small frame they are in a more natural 

 and compact form. 



After both hives are filled with combs, brood, 

 and bees, there would not be any material dif- 

 ference, except in the working of the hive. But 

 let both hives become reduced in numbers, by 

 bad wintering or any other cause, and then the 

 advantage of the small frames is at once seen. 

 Here is a box of ten by twelve inches square 

 and twentjr-four inches high. There was a 

 good swarm put into it last year, and they filled 

 the hive to the bottom; the bees have been 

 well wintered and consumed but little of their 

 stores ; the brood comb is at the bottom, but the 

 animal heat is at the top. Now, cut off the top, 

 and bring the size of the hive to twelve inches 

 in depth, and double the quantity of bees can 

 and will go into the fields as gatherers. 



Again, we Avill put an ordinary swarm into a 

 small compact hive — one that you can finally 

 enlarge to the same capacity as the other. The 

 one will make a piofitable swarm, while the 

 other does comparatively nothing. The simple 

 reason is this, the one has a large working force 

 to spare; while in the other most of the bees 

 have to stay at home, developing only half the 



quantity of brood which the former can mature. 

 After the weather becomes warm enough, both 

 night and day, there will not be so marked a 

 diifference between them, as there is in cooL 

 weather. 



In old box hive times, it was a fact well 

 known to practical beekeepers that in a hive 

 twelve inches square, the bees would build their 

 combs the nearest right and send out the earliest 

 swarms — surpassing, in this respect, any other 

 form of hive that we could get up, if the spring 

 was favorable, so that they did not run short of 

 supplies. Yet a hive of that capacity proved 

 too small fox every season. 'The hive I use_ is 

 twelve inches square, with another half hive 

 added to one side. Those arc the dimensions. 

 Now recollect that I never said that the hive T use 

 is the best hive in the world, or that it will make 

 honey without bees; but that the hive suits me, 

 and I am perhaps as difficult to please as any 

 other person. At least, before I obtained this 

 hive I tried as many different forms of hives, in 

 all probability, as any person in the United 

 States. I formed an idea of what a hive should 

 do, and until I obtained one that would work 

 up to my standard, I was not satisfied. Sliould 

 any one wish more surplus room, he can make 

 the cap a ten acre lot, if he chooses. Unless 

 you have a hive that will work on this princi- 

 ple, it is useless to attempt a rapid increase. 

 You will have to wait till late in the season, 

 and in every case make up a strong swarm at 

 the start. IBut in that case it is always more 

 difficult to control the comb-building with a 

 strong swarm to commence with, than with a 

 weak one. Furthermore, a swarm very strong 

 at the start, will build comb faster than_ the 

 queen can occupy it; and in such case it is 

 difficult to make all swarms alike for the next 

 season. Occasionally, in some circumstances, 

 a swarm in a large hive becames reduced to a 

 mere handful, and still recupeiates ; but in the 

 right kind of hive we can always bring up a 

 weak sw<«rm speedily. The best of us occa- 

 sionally have swarms reduced in numbers be- 

 fore we become aware of it. How often, early 

 in the spring, we wish to strengthen a weak 

 colony by inserting a card of brood from a 

 strong swarm, without injuring the latter. Then, 

 how much easier to handle a small frame than 

 a large one, without danger of breaking the 

 comb. "When I am increasing my stocks, I 

 frequentl}'- have beekeepers visit me. We walk 

 around among the stacks, and the universal re- 

 mark is—" how strong and populous your 

 swarms are !" But when I come to open the 

 hives, and show thein the nuclei with two, three, 

 or lour frames,they cannot comprehend iiow such 

 small swarms, Avhich from their working, they 

 had supposed were extra populous, could work 

 so strong, until I explain to them the principle 

 of economizing the animal heat. Now, gentle- 

 men, this is not mere theory. It can be demon- 

 strated in twenty-four hours, at any time in the 

 summer. We would take one of those nuclei 

 at night; remove the division board; and move 

 the four combs, bees and all, into the centre of 

 the hive. The following day nearly all the bees 

 stay at home to keep up the necessary tempera- 

 ture; and the queen will cease laying, except in 



