THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



217 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Kequisites of a Good nivo. 



Will any one improve .1 frair.e hive to such a 

 desirce as\o have all the following advantages? 



Mrst. — That Ave can approach close to where 

 the main body of the bees are breeding, with 

 the surplns honey receptacle, as in Langstroth's 

 shallow Ibrni of hive ; and in which, at the 

 same time, the bees miiy store honey enough 

 in the main body of the hive, dircctl}' above 

 them, to winter on. We are perhaps all aware 

 that bees can get at their winter stores better, 

 in cold weather, when placed directly above 

 them, as in the case of their natural habitation, 

 the hollow tree. 



Secondly. — A hive of adequate size, but not 

 containing more than eight (8) comb frames ; 

 as even a strong colony will not, in winter, 

 occupy more than seven or eight combs at any 

 one time. 



ThinlJy. — With all the above, the hive should 

 be simple in construction, and not cost com- 

 plete more than two dollars. 



Should no one else propose a hive "with all 

 the above advantages, I will give a description 

 in mj' next communication, of one that com- 

 bines them. S. B. Replogel. 



MAKTrNSBUKG, Pa. 



[For the American Bee Jonmal.] 



Mustard for Bee Pasturage. 



Last season I sowed an acre of mustard. It 

 came in bloom about six days before the white 

 clover. I think by early sowing, on rich, dry 

 land, it would blossom ten daj-s before white 

 clover. Bees workeil well on it in the forepart 

 of the day. I think the honey evaporated from 

 it rapidly in clear warm weather. As I knew 

 of no market for the seed, I plowed it under, and 

 sowed buckwheat upon the ground. It was 

 what is called white mustard. 



I had growing on my farm a bunch of what is 

 commonly called motherwort. It produced an 

 abundance of flowers, and I noticed when the 

 weather allowed bees to be out, that it was al- 

 ways covered with them. Will it furnish good 

 honey ? It is a very bitter herb, but I do not 

 know its botanical name. 



I wish to get a pure quality of Alsikc clover 

 seed. Any quantity up to sufficient to seed two 

 acrep. Can you inform me where it can be 

 had?* A. Stiles. 



Genoa, III. 



* Advertised by J. P. Bartholow In the Bee Jorn- 

 KAL for this month. 



The Baron of Berlepsch says that the most 

 remarkable instance of extraordinarj' fertility 

 in a queen bee within his experience, was that 

 of one in his apiary, which belonged to a very 

 small swarm found on a willow tree in the 

 summer of 1853. She survived her fifth sum- 

 mer in 1857, and at a moderate estimate must 

 have laid at least one million three hundred 

 thousand eggs in the course of her life. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Answer to Questions by Querist. 



In the Bee Joukxal, current volume, page 

 128, Querist desires to know "the best size and 

 the best form for hives." 



First^i as regards size, my opinion is that a 

 hive should contain not less tlian two tiiousand 

 cubic inches inside of the frames, no matter what 

 the climate may be, Avarm or cold. 



My reasons are, that such a hive contains no 

 more breeding space than will frc([uently be 

 used by very prolifie queens, especially Italian 

 and hybrid queens. My hive contains about 

 tAventy-one hundred cubic inches, and my Ital- 

 ian and hyl)rid queens frequently fill CA'ery card 

 of comb Avith l)rood, except a small jiortion 

 allotted to honey. Therefore, I consider that a 

 hive containing less than two thousand cubic 

 inches Avould frequently limit the brooding ca- 

 pacity of the queen. 



Again, it Avill be understood that in a small 

 hive — one much less than the above-mentioned 

 size — a queen during the breeding season fills all 

 the combs Avith brood, so that little honey can 

 be stored. Such stocks are almost sure to be 

 short of honey for winter w'ants, if the fall honey 

 harvest fails ; as they cannot lay in a winter 

 stock for Avant of room, until the breeding season 

 begins to decline. But in a hive containing 

 two thousand cubic inches, there will at all 

 times be enough for Avinter wants, except where 

 queens arc more than usually prolific. Ilence, 

 slocks in such IiIa'cs are not so likely to be af- 

 fected by a failure of the fall honey harvest. I 

 agree, also that a frame hive had better be a lit- 

 tle longer than is actually needed for breeding, 

 aud the storing of honey for Avinter use. For if 

 a hive is found to contain too much honey in 

 the fall, it is easily removed. Or if, when 

 spring comes, some stocks have more honey 

 than is requisite, others are sure to require sup- 

 plies. Then by exchanging cards of comb, these 

 stocks that are short of honey can be at once 

 supplied. Such are my reasons for advocating 

 a liive contnining two thousand cubic inches, 

 as the proper dze. Are they satisfactory ? The 

 best form of hive some other time. 



J. H. Thomas. 



BaOOKLIX, OXTAKIO. 



The number of days in a season in which bees 

 gather more than is consumed in breeding, or 

 I)y young bees Avhieh gather nothing for about 

 the fir.-t ten days of their existence, is more lim- 

 ited than most persons sujjpose. Some seasons 

 it is less than a fortnight. Feeding swarms 

 Aveak in stores to enable them to pass the win- 

 ter in safety, should be done as rapidly as possi- 

 ble after the (jucen has ceased laying in Octo- 

 ber; otherAA'ise they Avill consume much in rear- 

 ing young, Avhen their jiopulation may be al- 

 ready sullieiently strong. By feeding regularly 

 and sparingly, I have kept young queens laying, 

 more or less freely, until the middle of Novem- 

 ber. — E. Parmhj., New York. 



