12 



TEE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



detailing the manner of packing bees 

 for shipment, and giving the number 

 of minutes required to pack a colony 

 in the hives these parties had in use. 



"We are inclined to think we can 

 beat the record of the best of them 

 with tlie Bay State hive. 



The Bay State hive has a standing 

 closed-end frame. Of course this 

 frame never needs any nailing to keep 

 it in place. Tlie bottom-board, of 

 which a good illustration is here given, 

 is so arranged that there is always a 



good ventilation under tlie frames. A 

 rim FF, CC, f of an inch thick, is nailed 

 to the upper side of the ])ottom-board. 

 The frames rest upon these strips. It 

 will be noticed that the entrance EE, 

 to hive is sunk below the centre of the 

 bottom-board, and the bees in enter- 

 ing tlie hives pass under the strip C. 

 The strips nailed to the top side of 

 the bottom-board not only keep the 

 frames at a proper distance above the 

 bottom-board, but hold the outer case 

 of the hive in place. These strips 

 keep out the water, and as the entrance 

 is belovv the level of the bottom of the 

 hive no water can enter. 



Now about packing a colony of bees 

 for shipment in one of these hives. 

 Nail one of the wire-cloth honey- 

 boards (described in the December 

 Api) over the frames, close the en- 

 trance with a screen and after nailing 

 some strips to the sides of the hive to 

 keep the bottom-board and the outer 

 case together, the job is done. Should 

 say that it would require about five 

 minutes time to pack the hive to go 

 safely one thousand miles. 



Every mail brings letters request- 



ing us to describe the Bay State hive 

 in the Api. A good description will 

 be given in the February number. 

 Several cuts will be shown describing 

 the hive. 



Reversing brood-combs. 



J. W. Tefft. 



Friend Alley : In the last very in- 

 teresting Api, page 185, in j^our reply 

 to Henry Harker, you remark, "that 

 reversing the brood-combs for any 

 other reason than to get the combs 

 fastened to all sides of the frame, or 

 for the purpose of destroying queen- 

 cells at swarming time, is not of any 

 practical value to the beekeeper." 

 Pardon me if I bring to your notice 

 some things that I have practised for 

 the past ten years, and find them of 

 immense value. 



By reversing the brood -combs con- 

 taining two-thirds of brood and one- 

 third or more of honey ; by uncapping 

 the honey during the honey harvest, 

 the honey is carried above and the 

 queen will utilize the cells for brood 

 as fast as the bees remove the honey. 

 The advantage is : First, more room 

 for brood without inserting another 

 frame; second, I get full frames of 

 solid brood without an ounce of honey 

 in them : third, I get full frames of 

 honey above without a cell of brood 

 in them ; fourth, it upsets the swarm- 

 ing fever during the honey season ; 

 fifth, it takes a less number by one- 

 half of beehives. Collamer, N. Y. 



1. I do not think the bees would remove the 

 stores to the combs above should the honey in 

 the brood combs be uncapped during the honey 

 harvest. Should the colony wake up some fine 

 morning and And a lot of empty cells in the 

 brood chaml)er, the bees would fairly screech 

 for joy. How quickly tlie little fellows would fill 

 tliose empty cells with nice, new nectar, that had 

 secreted in the blossoms during tlie night. 



2. Full frames of brood can be found in any 

 hanging-frame hive, provided the colony has a 

 prolific queen. 



3. Tlie iVames will be filled solid with honey and 

 not a cell of brood in them if a queen-excluder is 

 used between the two hives. 



4. Reversing the brood-combs will usually re- 

 tard swarming; nevertheless it is not the most 

 practical method (nor is it at all practical) to 

 break up the swarming fevei'. 



While tliere is some advantage in reversing the 

 brood-combs, I cannot agree to all our friend 

 claims for the iuvertible system. 



