1907. 



AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



the frame and have the glass come felt-like cloth. All the strips, both 

 to the top of this space. Such space the vertical and horizontal, which sep- 

 serves for a receptacle for dead bees, arate the glasses and the strips which 



wax scraps, etc., and also gives room 

 for the bees if they have to spread out 

 on account of heat. 



So much for the general principles. 

 Hives for specific purposes or for use 

 under particular conditions can be 

 made of sundry sizes and shapes 

 which will suggest themselves accord- 

 ing to the ends to be met. I have 

 found that for general convenience, 

 safety from upsets, and for ready 

 transportation a hive made as shown 

 in the accompanying sketch to be 

 most satisfactory. It will be noted 

 that the base is much wider than the 

 uprights, and is so designed for three 

 purposes, stability, ventilation with- 

 out draft through hive, and for feed- 



hold the outer panes in place should 

 be painted a dull black, for the same 

 reason that the inside of a telescope 

 is blackened. 



Having a suitable hive, however, is 

 only part of the battle, for improperly 

 stocked it is far from satisfactory. 

 For the most gratifying results a new 

 comb should be used, one which the 

 queen has occupied for the first time. 

 The comb should preferably be not 

 more than half filled with brood, of 

 which fully half should be sealed. To 

 get a comb so stocked place a ne-.v 

 comb next within or in place of the 

 outer one occupied by the queen in 

 the hive, and as soon as it is suitably 

 stocked move it one frame farther 



ing. The base or floor has a half inch b^ck until part of the brood is sealed. 



rim along each edge on which rests, 



on one side of the uprights, a screen 



of wire cloth, and on the opposite 



side a sheet of glass. The use of glass 



is optional, wood serving as well, 



but glass has the advantage of giving 



a free view of the floor. The wire 



cloth side serves as a ventilator so 



located that no draft can hit the 



combs or bees except as they direct 



it, and also in conjunction with the 



wire top of the tunnel, drafts through 



the entrance are not of enough force 



to disturb the passing of the bees. 



For feeding it is only necessary to 

 invert on the wire a food-filled bottle 

 whose top is covered with a piece of 

 cheesecloth. If, perchance, there is 

 any food spilt it runs through onto 

 the hive floor where the bees quickly 

 clean it up. 



Instead of grooves into which the 

 glass is to be slipped, movable strips 

 to be nailed or screwed to the uprights 

 are preferable, then, be the glass thick 

 or thin, they can always be made to 

 lit snugly. In my own hives these 

 strips have the edges which come 

 against the glass faced with black 



When the comb is ready the next step 

 is to secure proper bees, and these 

 are comparatively young bees. An 

 easy way to get plenty of the right 

 sort is to take the selected comb and 

 one other with adhering bees from the 

 colony and place them in a hive or 

 box by themselves, giving the bees 

 freedom to fly. In the course of an 

 hour or less if the day is warm all 

 of the old stagers will have returned 

 to their home. Then from the second 

 comb, above referred to, shake into 

 the temporary hive or box all the bees 

 on it. Most of these will promptly 

 crawl up on the selected comb, which 

 should at once be put into the obser- 

 vation hive and the latter closed. In 

 the course of fifteen minutes any 

 queen may be given to them by mere- 

 ly running her in at the entrance, 

 preceded and followed by a pufif of 

 smoke, and the entrance promptly 

 closed. Use a young queen if possi- 

 ble. The hive is then moved to the 

 house and placed in the window and 

 the bees shortly given their freedom, 

 the zinc queen guard being put in 

 place to prevent absconding. 



