THE AMERICAN BEL-KEEPER, 





TAKE THE FRAME HIVE. 



What style of hive shall I use ? is 

 quite a prominent question in the mind 

 oi the farmer who is just starting in 

 bee-keeping, and desires to raise only 

 honey enough for use in his family. 

 Usually a rough box is nailed togeth- 

 er, or an old nail keg is improvised 

 and the bees are hived with the idea 

 of taking the honey in the fall, by 

 brimstoning the bees, hut when the end 

 of the season is reached, the colony 

 having done so well and filled the 

 hive, the fanner guesses they will win- 

 ter and the use of match and brim- 

 stone are deferred. Perhaps it is ap- 

 plied to some old swarm and the honey 

 obtained for family use is a mixture 

 of old comb, dark honey, bee-bread, 

 etc, not very inviting for the family 

 or any one else to use. II' the farmer 

 is at all progressive in his ideas, he 

 will naturally apply the same progres- 

 sive ideas to his growing apiary. L 

 would therefore recommend any good 

 movable frame hive, prefering some 

 of the later paterns. In the use of an 

 improved hive the honey is secured in 

 the best marketable shape. The farm- 

 er may not be particular how nice the 

 honey may look upon his own table, 

 but I think it pays to have it as beau- 

 tiful on his own table as anywhere. 

 If more honey is raised than the family 

 can consume, what an acceptable pres- 

 ent one of these 1 lb. sections makes. 

 If the bees are in an improved hive 

 there will be no necessity of brimston- 



ing the weak colonies. Such colonies- 

 can be easily strengthened by giving 

 to them from their strongest neigl 

 combs of unhatched brood, <n 

 weak colonies can be doubled into one 

 by simply removing empty combs and 

 inserting those filled with honey and 

 covered with bees. Another advant- 

 age in having bees in an impr 

 hive is their salability. There is al- 

 ways in the spring a demand for bees 

 if they are in such a hive, while the 

 box hive or nail keg colony wil 

 begging for a purchaser. A few per- 

 sons in every community should keep 

 bees, for they are indispensable 

 fertilization of many kinds of flowers 

 that are necessary to the well-being 

 and prosperity of the farmer. — F,imd 

 H. 



HIE l'ORTER SPRINO l!EE-E5CAL'l;. 



(From Gleanings.) 



Engraving No. 1 shows the est 

 complete, which, when placed in an 

 escape-board, is ready for use. The 

 bees enter the escape at Fand pass out 

 at D, as shown in cuts 2 and 3. The 

 escape proper, as shown at A, i 

 inches long by 1 i; wide and i inch 

 deep. The top piece C is 4]- in. long 

 and If in wide. The part B, contain- 

 ing the springs as shown in cut Xo. 2, 

 is If in. long, 1 inch wide and | inch 

 deep. The object of this inner part- 



