THE AMERICAN BEEKEEPER. 



requirements? The writer take.- strong 

 ground in favor of the modified hive 

 and the use of the excluders, and has 

 the evidence to hack up his position 

 in the way of comparative results in 

 the yield of comb honey by the old 

 and the new systems of proceedure, 

 thus proving that a queen excluder, 

 when rightly used, is one of the great- 

 est inventions of modern times favor- 

 ing profitable apiculture. Why it is 

 so is not very difficult to get at. 



The principal of contracting the 

 brood nest at the right time in pro- 

 ducing comb honey is a measure sanc- 

 tioned by the majority of leading api- 

 arists in this country, and it is uni- 

 versally conceded that if the brood 

 nest is contracted to any considerable 

 extent a queen excluder is a necessity. 

 The reason why there is any difference 

 of opinion in the matter is because in 

 certain localities no contraction of the 

 brood nest is ever advisable excepting 

 under rare circumstances affecting 

 nectar secretions. There are localities 

 where there is an almost continuous 

 flow throughout the season, and wher- 

 ever we find such localities, whether 

 in this or any other country, the most 

 profitable bee-keeping is with large 

 brood nest and large hives. In quite 

 a number of districts in France, it is 

 stated by Mr. Cowan, in his recent in- 

 teresting address before the British 

 Bee-Keeper's Association, (B. B. J,, 

 pp. 518,) that there is an almost con- 

 tinuous flow of nectar from Spring to 

 Autumn, and he found the bee-keep- 

 ers there nearly all using Dadant'sand 

 DeLayen's large hives, the latter con- 

 taining from 16 to 24 brood frames, 

 "about double the size of our standard 

 frames." Noonein their right senses 



would talk about contraction of the 

 brood nests in such localities, but un- 

 fortunatetv they are few and far be- 

 tween in this country. Where we 

 have one such locality there are a 

 hundred where the season for surplus 

 ends with the white clover or the 

 basswood bloom. It is in these local- 

 ities, which so largely predominate, 

 that we must contract the brood nest, 

 both during the honey flow and during 

 the balance of the season, if one would 

 make the most of bee keeping, and 

 whoever admits the advantage of such 

 contraction in his locality will be com- 

 pelled to admit the value of the queen 

 excluder in the production of comb 

 honey. 



Contraction of the brood nest, as 

 heretofore, resulted in the deprivation 

 of the natural stores, so that the bees 

 had to be fed sugar syrup for Winter, 

 but now we have a new system of man- 

 agement in this regard whereby there 

 would be left abundant stores for Win- 

 ter, so this principal objection to con- 

 tracting the brood nest ceases to exist. 

 By way of explanation it may be ad- 

 ded, that the contracted brood nest 

 approved of contains not less than 800 

 square inches of brood comb, that this 

 brood nest is amply large for all col- 

 onies from about the first of June till 

 Fall, and is especially adapted to 

 swarms in securing the largest results 

 in comb honey, and that a two-story 

 hive is required for breeding up in 

 Spring and for the best results in win- 

 tering. 



New Philadelphia, O. 



Our February issue will contain 

 description and engravings of the 

 Rhode Island Nellis Hive, which is 

 used at the R. I. Experiment Station. 



