T8 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



spring, (in a small hall, to be left in the centre) 

 iu order to lower the temperalurewhen the cold 

 begins to moderate. 



The frame is put up with 2 x 10 scantling, 

 ■weather boarded and battened on the outside, 

 and lined on the inside. The hollow wall all 

 filled up with saw-dust. The joists above are 

 2x8, lined on the under side, and 8 inches of 

 saw-dust laid on top, through which an upward 

 rentilator passes, reaching from the ceiling up 

 through the roof of the house, and having at 

 bottom a regulating valve. I have a small win- 

 dow in one end, with glass, and also blinds on 

 both inside and outside ; a double door, one on 

 each side of frame, and in the winter a straw 

 mattress will be placed between the doors. 



Now, Mr. Editor, if any of the friends can 

 sugeest any improvement on the above plan, I 

 would feel obliged. 



1 propose, in summer, to use the house for 

 working my honey machine in, or for storing 

 honey, or any other work connected with bees 

 in sunmier. I have seventy swarms, and one 

 hundred can be stored away in this house, if in 

 Thomas' hive, ("and by the way that is the best 

 hive, and is all the go in Canada). 



"With us, the past season will, I think, prove 

 to be the poorest we have had for some time. 

 It has been just the reverse of last summer — 

 that is, too wet and cold. I fear very little sur- 

 plus honey will be obtained. 



A. C. Atwood. 



DuNCEiEFF, Cakada, Aug. 20, 1869. 



purpose, we shall have the area of 84.000 cells 

 as the necessary room inside of the frames in 

 movable comb liives. 



Now every square inch contains fifty worker 

 cells; and if we divide 84,000 by 50, we shall 

 have 1,650 square inches, or somewhat mo/e 

 than 11 square feet on the total surface of all 

 the combs in a good-sized hive. That surface 

 is the same as that indicated as the proper size 

 iu the works of all good authors on bees— such 

 as Langstroth, Quinby, &c. In order to ascer- 

 tain whether so much room is necessary, let us 

 compare the product of a hive holding 1,650 

 square inches, and that of another holding only 

 j 1,050 ; and let us suppose that each of these 

 I hives is stocked with 10,000 bees on the 1st of 

 ! April. What will be the difiFerence iu the num- 

 ber of workers after the lapse of one month ? 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Size of Hives. 



In answer to the inquiry of Mr. C. S. Paine, 

 in the September number of the Bee Journal, 

 I will give my impressions as to the proper 



size of hives. 



Many writers have suggested that the size of 

 the hives should be proportionate to the pastur- 

 age of the district in which they are used ; 

 small sized hives, being best adapted to poor 

 honey countries, and larger hives for sections 

 yielding hou(^y more abundantly. 



My opinion differs widely from these ideas ; 

 for I think, whatever be the honey-yielding 

 quality of the country, the capacity ot the hives 

 flU( uld be in relative proportion to the fecundi- 

 ty of the queens. 



I have asceitained that, in the height of the 

 brooding season, the normal fecundity of a 

 healthy prolific queen enables her to lay three 

 thousand eggs daily, if she is supplied with 

 empty worker comb. "We know, also, that 

 twenty-one or twenty-two days are required for 

 the developement of the worker bee, from the 

 time the egg is hatched until she leaves the cell. 

 If we now multiply 3,000 by 22, we shall have 

 64,000 as the number of empty cells required 

 for the accommodation of a queen ordinarily 

 prolific. 



But there is, besides, some room required in 

 the combs for the provisions— honey and bee- 

 bread ; and if we allow 20,000 cells for this 



Hive of 1,050 square inches. 



Population on the 1st of April 10,000 bees. 



Hatching, IJOJ bees per day, for 30 



days 51,000 " 



61,000 •• 

 Deduct, for mortality, one-third 20,000 " 



Population, on the 1st of May 4i ,000 " 



Hive op 1,650 sqtjake inches. 



Population on the 1st of April 10,000 bees. 



Hatcring, 2,50J bees per day, for 30 



days - 75,000 " 



Deduct, for mortality, one-third 28,000 " 



Population on the 1st of May....... 57,000 " 



Let it be noted that we have put the number 

 of eggs in the 1,650 inch hive at only 2,500, in- 

 stead of 3,000, the product, daily, of a very 

 prolific queens. 



But we know that while 10,000 bees gather 

 one pound of honey, 20,0"0 will gather four 

 pounds, and 30,000 nine pounds ; for the in- 

 crease is to be calculated by the square of the 

 numbers. Now let us see what will be the 

 probable difference between the weight of the 

 honey gathered in one mouth by the bees of 

 the two hives, supposed one pound is gathered 

 by 10,000 bees in one month. 



Hive of 1,050 square inches. 

 The product of the 4 ten thousand bees will be 

 four times four pounds, or 16 pounds. 



Hive of 1,650 square inches. 



The product of the 5 ten thousand and 7,000 

 bees will be 5 ten 7-10 by 5 pounds, or 32 

 pounds 49-100. 



Tlie probable difference should be 16 pounds 

 49-100, in favor of the larger. hive, the product 

 of which will be double that of the smaller one. 



"We know to-day, by experience, that the 

 larger the hive tlie gi eater the product ; but 

 the large hive should be provided with a divi- 

 sion board to adapt the space to the strength of 

 the colony. 



Ch. Dadant. 



Hamilton, Ills. 



The bee moth is the only insect known to feed 

 on wax. 



