THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



blood and converted into nutriment. 

 Honey is digested nectar, digested by- 

 distillation in nature's labratory, and 

 does not undergo digestion in the 

 human organs. 

 Richford, iV. Y. 



What I Have Observed, Etc. 



BY T. K. MASSIE. 



( ontinued.) 



The frame is an indispensible part 

 of the hive, aud why any one can tol- 

 erate a loose hanging frame, like the 

 L frame, is more than I can divine. 

 The i in. space at each end between 

 end bars and hive is almost certain to 

 be filled up with comb in a strong col- 

 ony, and when they are not plugged 

 up and made fast the greatest care in 

 handling or moving a hive is required 

 to keep from killing bees by the frames 

 slipping together. The space in cold 

 winter weather is filled with the bit- 

 ing, frosty air, to chill the life out of 

 our bees, but if such frames must be 

 used then we should use spacers to 

 make them "fixed." 



The Simplicity hives have 106 cubic 

 inches of vacant space between end of 

 frames and hive. Of what use is this 

 vacant space ? Can any one tell me ? 

 I can nan die the closed end frames 

 more rapidly than I can those loose 

 hanging "raitle traps," and when a 

 hive is moved the frames remain in 

 their places, even if the hive has been 

 carried on its side. I want a reversi- 

 ble, closed end frame, one that will fit 

 closely inside the hive and leave no 

 useless vacant space, and so arranged 

 that my bees can pass through the top 

 bars. This is all the winter passage I 

 want. It seems to me that the frames 

 should embody the following princi- 

 ples : hanging, closed end, reversible, 



winter passage through the bars, and 

 so arranged that the bees will be en- 

 tirely excluded from the walls of the 

 hive at the end of frames. If some one 

 will get up a frame that can be made 

 cheap and embody the above princi- 

 ples, I think it will make almost a 

 perfect frame. 



The winter case should be made so 

 that it can be detached from the 

 bottom board. This is necessary to 

 sun and air our hives in winter and 

 spring, as previously mentioned. Such 

 a winter case, with the cushions re- 

 moved, is all the shade boards we need 

 in hot weather. 



I fancy I hear some one say, " you 

 have drawn all your conclusions from 

 box hives." Not all together. I am 

 seeking for knowledge and I am will- 

 ing 10 accept it from any source. My 

 conclusions are drawn from what I 

 conceive to be the best result, whether 

 that be from a box hive or any other 

 kind of hive. I want a frame hive ; 

 one that conforms to the natural re- 

 quirements of my bees. I want my 

 bees on frames so that I can assist 

 them, by giving stores or taking away, 

 when necessary, and for the thousand 

 and one other advantages in manipu- 

 lating. 



Some may say, " You are harping 

 too much on the 'according to nature* 

 plan." We all assist the natural in- 

 stincts of our bees in a great many 

 ways. It is their instinct to clean out 

 their hives, build combs, etc., yet we 

 assist them in this by giving them a 

 nice, clean hive ready to occupy, and 

 we give them foundation whenever it 

 will pay to do so. Then why not give 

 assistance in every instance where it 

 it will be to our (and theirs too) ad- 



