THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



69 



[For the American Bor; .Imirnal.] 



Bee-Hives. 



"Mr. Editor: — I notice iu the July luimlier 

 of the Bee JouKNAii a partial dcscrijitiou of 

 Mr. Allen's bee-hive, by W. A. Bennett, of 

 S5''racnsc. Now the first and leading objection 

 to nny of the hives iu use is (he coH; in con- 

 sideration of which none but such as can make 

 their own hives presume to follow the improve- 

 meutswhlch are constantl}' coming to our notice. 

 I am very confident that a hive which would 

 meet with general favor with the bee-keeping 

 farmers, must combine all tiie present improve- 

 m^iits, -with greater simiilicity and loss cost, 



As Mr. Bennett gave some of the leading 

 features of Mr. Allen's hive, without stating 

 the cost of the same, T will describe to you a 

 hive which I have had iu use over two years, 

 which I made for myself, trying to remedy ob- 

 jections which I found in all other hives, making 

 it simple and cheap and easy of manufacture. 



My frames are nuide with the top-piece or 

 head like any other movable frame, but Avithout 

 the bottom piece, which annoyed me from the 

 comb cuttpgs and worms collecting on them. 

 The ends are made one inch and a half wide 

 (a little wider for the Italian bees) and one- 

 half inch thick, being bevelled about a quarter 

 of an inch on both inside corners. When cut 

 to a length, make a saw cave or slot in the lower 

 end, deep enough to receive a piece of pail 

 hoop-iron, for the purpose of holding tiiem in 

 place. The top pieces are nailed in one-fourth 

 of an inch down from the top of the ends to 

 form a chamber between the bottom of the 

 supers and the top-pieces, without a houey- 

 boarci. This completes the top and ends of the 

 stock department. I put some sides of thin 

 boards, (or of pasteboard, with strips tacked to 

 it to hold it straight,) and bind the whole to- 

 gether with a piece of hoop-iron, encircling the 

 whole and making it tight by crowding one 

 side of the hoop lower than the other. The 

 whole making a clear open I'ox of the requisite 

 size, which can be handled like an old box hive. 

 The entrance to the hive is by slots cut in the 

 bottom board, half tlie thickness of the board ; 

 and by sliding my hive back ou the board (over 

 a little screen for ventilation) the bees are shut 

 in. 



I lastly inclose the whole with a box made 

 from rough, common boards, large enough to 

 leave a space all around the stock or inner hive, 

 which box can be removed at pleasure, without 

 disturbing the bees or even letting any different 

 air to them. 



The advantage of this arrangement is a more 

 oven temperature both iu wauu and cool 

 W(~ather. Tte supers can be made very cheap 

 of two boards, just large enough to cover the 

 top of the hive or chamber, (the top of the 

 chamber is the bottom of the supers) ;'lhen cut 

 a groove half through the board all avound it, 

 and from waste pieces of glsiss and strips of 

 piper, and some paste for the joints, a box can 

 lie made very nice and chcaii 1)}' uiciuis of a 

 diamond or even an old fde. 



The co;t of this hive need not exceed a dollar 



and a half ($1 50) in this vicinity, where lum- 

 ber costs from $1.1 to $40 i)er thousand feet. 



Now, Mr. Editor, if this discription finds a 

 place in your Journai, and i.s understood, it 

 would please mc to have it criticised bj^ any of 

 your subscribers, particularly by such well- 

 known apiarians as Qiiinby, Baldridge, Grimm, 

 Langstroth, and Mrs. Tapper, !)elieving that 

 hives can be made less complicnted and more 

 useful. J. A. SuAw. 



Dahtkokd, Wisconsin. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Bee~Kives. 



Dear Bee Journal: — From some remarks 

 last month I inter that you do not favor side- 

 opening hives. In commencing bee-keeping I 

 was early aware of the importance of huving 

 but one form of hive in the apiary, and of course 

 wished that one to be the best. 



After much time and study spent on the sub- 

 ject, I became convinced that none would 

 answer at all so well as either Langstroth's or 

 the American. I have used both for two years, 

 and must say I find many points in the Ameri- 

 can, which I think an improvement ou the first 

 movable comb hive. 



I will try and give my views, but shou!d be 

 glad of further light on the subject. 



1st. Tall hives are better than low ones. I 

 think all will admit that. 



Bees winter veiy badly iu Langstroth hives 

 about here — last winter especially. When my 

 Langstroth's were side by side with the Ameri- 

 can, with the honey board removed and a thick 

 layer of corncobs in place of it, and winter 

 passages carefully cut, the amount of dead bees 

 in the spring in some araoanted to nearly half 

 the swarm, while the Americans lost scarcely 

 any. 



In Langstroth's, the surviving bees generally 

 occupied one corner, while the other parts were 

 covered with frost. 



In the American, from the shape of the 

 hives, the bees remained below their stores, 

 and of course kept the heat from their bodies 

 above them. 



Mr. Quinby suggests as a remedy, tipping 

 the flat hives on end iu winter. But 1 am sure 

 I should not like such a proceeding. 



2d. The difficulty of removing the first comb 

 in Langstroth hives, when they are full of 

 honey, is such that I very often neglect it en- 

 tirely, especially in old hives. But with the 

 American, I have sometimes opened a hive 

 of common bees so quietlj' as to have scarcely 

 a bee leave the frame, using no smoke or any- 

 thing else, and I very rarely kill a bee in the 

 operation. 



8d. In preparing the Langstroth hives for 

 wintering, by covering the frames with corn- 

 cobs, ttc , if a person has many hives it is a 

 tremendous job, and then if he wishes to look 

 into one towards spring, they must all be re- 

 moved and put back again. The same thing is 

 accomplished in the American much (-uicker, 

 and so far as my experience goes, uuk h more 

 clVuicnfly, 



