THE AMEHTOAN BEE JOURNAL. 



77 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



WASHINGTON, OCTOBER, 18G7. 



E^TnE American Bee Journal is now 

 publislied nionlhly, iu the City of Wivshi-nglon 

 D. C.,) at '$2 per annum. All conmiunioations 

 honld be addvesscd to the Editor, at that plucc. 



Ouu reniurk in tlie last luunbia' of the Bee 

 Journal respecting side-opening hives, was not 

 designed to express an opinion as to their qual- 

 ities as a home for bees, but simply to state the 

 fact — of whicth many bee-keepers seem not to be 

 aware — that such hives are not a new inven- 

 tion. Thej' have been in use in Europe for 

 more than thirty years, and especially in the 

 shape given to them by Dzierzon, when intro- 

 ducing the movable bar or slat, have been till 

 quite recently the "crack hivf." there of im- 

 proved bee-culture. Latterly, however, they 

 are regarded with somewhat less favor, and are 

 no longer exclusively used, though undoubtedly 

 still retained by the greater number of apiarians. 

 Of their. properties, good or bad, we do not now 

 undertake to .speak, as we have never tried 

 them. Mr. Langstroth, we believe, used tliem 

 before adopting the present construction of his 

 hive, and it is fair to presume that he did not 

 reject them without sufflt ient reason. "VVe re- 

 gret exceedingly tliat his continued ill-health 

 precludes the hope that he will be able, for some 

 time yet, to state what that reason was 



Our esteemed correspondent, Novice, seems 

 to labor under a misconcepiioa also, respecting 

 tlie Langstroth liive. He appears to regard it 

 as restricted to one particular form — broad aad 

 ll.nt. This is by no means so. You r.iay give 

 it any sha|)e or form you choose, or find conve- 

 nient, oi- deem advantageous — broad and flat, 

 oblong and shallow, oblong and deep, square 

 and tall, or square and fl.it. Any form you 

 choose to give it still leaves it a Langstroth 

 hive. "We have it now, and have long had it, 

 of tlnee dilTereni forms— scpiare and shallow ; 

 square and deep ; and oblong, narrow, and of 

 medium depth. V.'ith ordinary cire we have 

 had no diihculty in wintering bees weU in any 

 of these; but it is prec'.scly with the sJuilluir 

 Jrive that we luive been mo>t successful in tiiat 

 particular. "We have never used the corncobs, 

 and cannot say whether thej' are more trouble- 

 some than serviceable, or not. The removal ol 

 tlic hone5'-board is oidinarily ;;1! ihri! is r.'- 

 (iuired iu this rcfrion. 



A comparative tei^t between adjoining' hives 

 of dilfering shapes is apt to be deceptive. Wo 

 have known bees.to pass the winter in a very 

 different condition in two neigliboriug old-fash- 

 ioned box hives of precisely the same shape, 

 make, dimeusions, and materials, and contain- 

 ing colonies and storcii so nearly equal in the 

 fall, that it would not have been ea.sy to point 

 out an essential difference. Botli survived the 

 winter — the one in good condition, bees lively, 

 and with surplus stores; the other weuk,.lauguid, 

 and stores nearly exhausted. The cause of the 

 difference was certainly not in the shape or size 

 of the hives, or of the material of which they 

 were made. We have no doubt that those who 

 use straw hives exclusively, which are usually 

 thought the best for wintering, have occasion- 

 ally experienced similar contrarieties. 



When Dzierzou's side-opening hives were 

 first introduced in Germany, the general com- 

 plaint of those who tried tiiem was that "bees 

 winter badly in them." This objection con- 

 tinued to be urged for several years. Gradually 

 less Avas heard of it, and finally it ceased to be 

 mentioned. Meantime no material change had 

 been made in the form of tUe hive. Use and 

 experience probably enabled those who have 

 them, to put matters in better trim in the fall 

 than they could originally. 



If a full set of frames is kept in the Lang- 

 stroth hive during tlie entire season, they are 

 unavoidably placed in close proximity to each 

 other. There may then occasionally, Avhen 

 honey a'.ounds, be some diiFiculty iu removing 

 the fi'-yt frame This is not the case, however, 

 if one fiame is lei't out du.ring the working sea- 

 son, and the others set no further apart than 

 they should be, leaving the vacant space at one 

 side. 



A badly made top of a L mgstroth hive will 

 leak; and so. we imagine, Avill a badly made 

 top 01' roof of any other. We have Langstroth 

 hives that have been in constant use for thirteen 

 years, and never leaked ; and have others that 

 did leak the first season. A device susceptible 

 of being well and eific'ently executed, is not to 

 be condemned for a defect not inlierent. 



So long as multiplying stock i.s the main ob- 

 ject, the jioney-board of the Langstroth hive is 

 decidedly useful, and- a eon vcnience. When 

 that object has been aeconiplislied, and large 

 honey harvests are mainly aimed at, it can be 

 dispensed with. Properly adapted supers may 

 then be substituted; or, retaining the lionej"- 

 board, asecond tier of frames, with aiiorjzontal 

 divider, may be introduced with obvious ad.- 

 vantage. This has been done years ago iu the 



