1896. 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



83 



Box Hives as Breeders. 



BY W. J. DAVIS. 



Mr. John F. Gates has given us his 

 idea on the above topic iu the pnges 

 of the American Bek- Keeper, and 

 it must be confessed that he makes it 

 appear that as a permanent fixture a 

 lot of big box hives, set out in the 

 yard, with never a hands turn of 

 labor, save to hive the big swarms 

 that issue from them early in the 

 season, would be a good thing. He 

 gives as about the proper size of such 

 hives 12 inches square and 2 ft. high. 

 He also speakes of hiving those big 

 swarms in small hives, giving abund- 

 ant surplus room and getting a large 

 yield of superior honey, that people 

 will fairly tumble over each other in 

 their haste to purchase. 



Now, Mr. Editor, that is just the 

 state of things that bee-keepers would 

 like to see. But allow me to make a 

 suggestion or two that might be an 

 improvement on the said box hives. 

 There are some things even in a box 

 hive that sometimes need setting to 

 rights. For instance, not one swarm 

 in 100 hived in such hives would fail 

 to build too much drone comb. 2d, 

 Swarms are always liable to become 

 queenless, and how would we remedy 

 these abnormal conditions ? To break 

 out drone comb from such hives would 

 only be to have drone comb rebuilt. 

 Let me suggest a hive that would 

 enable us to overcome these defects 

 that would surely present themselves 

 as above noted, viz : A hive 12x13 in. 

 inside measure and 20 inches high, 

 made in two sections, each 10 inches 

 high, filled with 16 brood frames. 



These hives, if made ro gldy, can 

 be made almost as cheaply as box 



hives, and the frames could be fur- 

 nished by supply dealers very cheaply. 

 The young swarms could be hived in 

 ^ size and worked for comb honey for 

 all they are worth, as Mr. Gates sug- 

 gests, and in the fall two of them 

 could be united by simply placing one 

 over the other. There should be a bee 

 space of about ^ of an inch between 

 the upper and lower frames, which 

 would always insure winter passage 

 for the bees in the middle of the hive. 

 The top should be a sound board, well 

 cleated at the projecting ends to pre- 

 vent warping, and if occasion requir- 

 ed the cover could be removed and a 

 section case placed on top and cover- 

 ed with the hive cover. 



Another advantage this hive would 

 have over a hive with fixed combs is 

 that in case of too much or too little 

 honey in any particular hive an ex- 

 change of combs is possible. 



Youngsville, Pa. 



Notes and Oominents. 



BY H. E. HILL. 



Our first swarm for 1896 issued 

 February 28th. 



Speaking of supers. Why don't 

 somebody make a super for holding 

 sections that fills the requirements ? 

 Make " a super as is a super." 



To prevent quilts from unraveling, 

 roll them up and touch the edges to 

 melted wax. 



A strong putty knife is the very 

 handiest tool about our apiary work. 



A nice lump of wax at the end of 

 the season will amply repay the care 

 of having a handy receptacle in which 



