2S4 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[Foi- the American Boe Journal.] 



Closed or Open Top Frames. 



I noticed an article in the February Journal 

 on side opening liives, by ]\Ir. J. H. Smith, 

 Avlierein he seems to think the various articles 

 in the December number on sucli liives, fixed 

 frames, &c., all refer directly to the American 

 liive, with its fixed frames and other objection- 

 able features, which are useless if the frames 

 are of tlie right constructioi;: — namely, having 

 their tops separated throughout their length, as 

 well as their ends and bottoms. Now I have 

 not the least objection to a man using what hive 

 lie pleases, nor is it any of my business. Still I 

 believe it to be the interest of every man, when 

 he purchases a patent bee hive, 1o procure 

 the best of the kind in the market. The 

 simpler it is in construction the better, provided 

 the desired object is attained. 



As to movable comb frames for bee hives, I 

 think any unprejudiced practical apiarian, who 

 has used the different kinds of frames, closed or 

 open top, will admit that the frames invented 

 by Mr. Langstroth are, for practical opera- 

 tions, far superior to the frames above referred 

 to. For a man who does not work the frames 

 at all, doubtless fixed frames are as good as 

 any. But for such a man, why have any frames 

 in the hive ? The old box "hive is, for such 

 management, decidedly tiie best, as it affords 

 the least protection to the moths and worms. 



Improved hives, without improved manage- j 

 ment, have done more harm than good. Most 

 bee-keepers, when they purchase a patent hive, 

 seem to think their bees are bound to {prosper 

 in spite of mismanagement and neglect. Should 

 their bees die, as is not unfrequcntly the case 

 under the old system of management — wliicli is 

 just no management at all — they will attribute 

 it, for want of a better reason, to the patent 

 hive. 



For a man who has but a few hives to super- 

 intend, and has plenty of spare time, which un- 

 fortunately is not the case with most bee-keep- 

 ers, such hives might do. But the case is very 

 ditlerent where a man has a large apiary to su- 

 perintend, and but little time to devote to his 

 bees. I can superiutend forty colonies in the 

 Langstroth hive in the same time that it would 

 take me to perform a like operation iu a dozen 

 hives containing closed top frames, and not kill 

 one-fourth as many bees. 



Mr. Smith says there are but few cases in 

 which there is a necessity for looking at a par- 

 ticular comb. He must be poorly informed in 

 regard to the first principles of practical bee-cul- 

 ture, to make such an unguarded assertion. The 

 accidental breaking of a comb, he says, might 

 be one. Now, in that case, it would he much 

 easier and quicker, to slide one frame a little to 

 the right and another as much to the left, and 

 lift out one comb at the side, whereby you liave 

 ample room to remove the broken comb, than 

 it is to commence at one side of the hive and 

 take out every comb till you come to the one 

 you wish to remove. Again, when you replace 

 the combs, you have to be as careful to set everv 



comb in its old position, as you would the ma- 

 cliinery of a clock, especially if it is an old 

 stock. If you do not follow this rule, you have 

 to use the knife in replacing nearly every comb. 



Tiien, again, in the spring or fall, when you 

 wish to air late or weak swarms by inserting 

 combs well stored Avith honey and bee-bread, it 

 is often impossible to introduce the comb with- 

 out resorting to the knife, and thus causing the 

 honey to run from the uncapped cells— the odor 

 of Avliich attracts bees from other hives, perhaps 

 to the ruin of the colony you wish to aid. 



Suppose, further, you wish to remove a queen 

 from a hive. You have to commence at one 

 side of the hive of course, and periiaps remove 

 nearly every comb in it, before you find her. 

 Consider also the time and trouble required to 

 close up the hive again, after you have found 

 and removed her. You have to use the knife 

 in replacing nearly every comb, to say notliing 

 about the time spent in hunting her. When 

 looking for a cjueen I have found it to be the 

 better plan to commence in the centre of the 

 hive, as she is almost invariably found on one of 

 the lirood combs. In such operations the Lang- 

 stroth hive speaks for itself. 



Sometimes you desire to strengthen a weak 

 colony in the spring, by inserting combs well 

 filled with maturing brood. In such cases the 

 disadvantage of side opening liives and fixed 

 frames is obvious enougli. You will only find 

 the brood combs in the centre of the hive at this 

 time of the j'^ear , and, more than all tiiis, it in 

 all important that the brood comi) you are in- 

 troducing sliould be placed in the centre of the 

 hive you wish to strengthen. Thus you have 

 necessarily to ene<mnter the difficulty twice, 

 before the operation is completed. 



Again supposing you are raising ciueens to 

 supply your artificial colony or the parent slock 

 Avilh a fertile queen. In every operation con- 

 nected with this, the disadvantage of closed 

 frames will be plainlj^ enough exhibited ; and 

 the Langstroth frames will be found perma- 

 nently superior. I have used Langstroth frames 

 fourteen inches high, with little more trouble 

 than those iu the shallow form of hive as now 

 used by Mr. Langstroth. To steady the frames 

 put a stick across the bottom of the hive, trans- 

 versely to the direction of the frames, leaving a 

 space of a quarter of an inch between the top 

 of the stick and the bottom of the frames. Take 

 some small wire, cut it in pieces two inches 

 long, bend these in the shape of the letter V, 

 form a small ring on each end, and fasten with 

 small tacks, so that the sharp end extends up 

 between the bottom of the frames. This w'll 

 hold the fnimes steady, tip the hive as you will. 



I would say, iu this connection, that I believe 

 I can obtain more surplus honey from the siial- 

 low form of the Langstroth hive than from any 

 other I have tried. IIknky S. See. 



EVANSBURG, Pa. 



l!I^"It is an error to say that queens and drones 

 will not feed themselves. I have often seen 

 queens eating honey out of open cells; and have 

 noticed drones doing so hundreds of times. — 

 Beulepscu. 



