103 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[Nov. 



Mr. Bingham did not think that Mr. Heddon's 

 theory in regard to the death of bees last winter 

 was correct. 



Mr. Everard, of Kalamazoo, stated that he 

 had wintered the most of his bees successfully. 

 Those that got fresh, pure air came out all right. 

 Those that were kept low dowu in the cellar 

 died largely. He attributed the death of his 

 bees to want of pure ventilation. 



William Campbell, of Royal Oak, said that he 

 had bees die last winter of dysentery. Some 

 old bees died in the comb. One cause of the 

 death of bees was in his opinion the poor quality 

 of the honey. 



Mr. Porter read an article contributed by him 

 to the Michigan Farmer, May 23d last, on this 

 subject. He said he had reason to change his 

 opinion in regard to some points in the article 

 since writing the same ; that the article did not 

 fully express his present opinion on this impor- 

 tant topic; but, in the main did. From some 

 inquiries propounded to Mr. Porter he was led 

 off into a long explanatory talk about the 

 aphides, or plant lice, and as to their secreting 

 honey dew, which the speaker said they did. 



Mi - . A. C. Balch, of Kalamazoo, stated that 

 his experience was that bees did not want much 

 ventilation. Last winter he lost only one swarm 

 of bees. The cellar where they were kept was 

 nearly air-tight. 



Mr. Bingham asked Mr. Porter if the honey 

 of Prof. Cook's apiary, of the Agricultural Col- 

 lege, last fall, was of the ordinary color. 



Mr. Porter responded in the affirmative, and 

 that the honey was unusually good and was used 

 in the college. 



Mr. Balch said he did not believe that Mr. 

 Heddon could give his bees dysentery by drum- 

 ming. 



Mr. Knapp asked Mr. Porter if he had seen 

 bees gathering the honey dew, and received an 

 affirmative reply. 



Mr. Bingham wanted to know of Mr. Rood if 

 he thought that scalding the honey would pre- 

 vent the mortality. Mr. Rood responded in the 

 negative. 



Mr. Heddon, of Dowagiac, made some further 

 remarks on the mortality question, stating his 

 own practical experience on the subject. 



Considerable discussion was indulged in by 

 members of the association on the "old age" 

 theory of Mr. Heddon, and upon various topics 

 remote from the subject under discussion. 



CLOSING SESSION. 



At the session, Thursday morning, the Secre- 

 tary read the following interesting letter from 

 E. Gallup, of Orchard, Iowa, on the subject of 

 "Hives." 



The Hive Question. 



By E. Gallop. 



This is a knotty question to many a beginner in bee- 

 keeping, and, iu fact, it is not yet solved by many au 

 old experienced beekeeper. It is a well known t'acL, 

 that a natural swarm of bees will build comb, raise 

 brood, store honey, and carry on their labors without 

 any hive whatever during the entire summer. But in 

 this case there is a constant guard or crust of bees 



surrounding the brood nest at all times and on all 

 sides. During a storm this cni3t or guird is made 

 very thick on the windward side. Now, in construct- 

 ing a hive with this knowledge, we make the hive or 

 the material out of which the hive is made, answer 

 in place of this guard or crust of bees, thus allowing 

 all this force to become outside laborers. 



With the above facts iu view, we formerly held 

 that a compact hive of about 2000 cubic inches, with 

 a further chance of contracting the size of the hive 

 by the use of a movable division board, was the only 

 real, practical hive that could be used ; but when we 

 came to use the extractor, we soon found that this 

 room was all needed for brood ; we now wanted hives 

 of double the above capacity. The old plan of top 

 boxes suggested a two-story hive, but this form of 

 hive kept too many crust or guard bees at home, 

 especially if the weather was a little cool. To make 

 this perfectly plain, so as to be understood, suppose 

 we use a hive two feet square and two feet high. We 

 have a good strong stock of bees in this hive; it is 

 tilled with combs. The brood nest or comb contain- 

 ing the brood, is at the bottom, spread out horizon- 

 tally, and 8 or 10 inches in height. (We do not wish 

 to be uuderstood as saying that it is always in this 

 form, but simply for illustration.) Now, this brood 

 nest is in the centre, consequently does not come 

 near or approach the sides or top of the hive, and the 

 consequence is, a constant guard or crust of bees has 

 to be kept clustered around the brood nest on all 

 sides, unless the weather is very warm, the same as 

 there would have to be if this brood nest was sus- 

 pended to a polo in the opeu air ; that is, to a certain 

 extent the above answers for au illustration. Now, 

 if we can make a hive of the same capacity, but in a 

 different form, so that the sides and top of the hive 

 forms a crust around the brood nest, we have liber- 

 ated so many of the bees that form this crust or 

 guard, and the consequence is, more of the bees can 

 go out as honey gatherers or water carriers, &e. To 

 further illustrate this, we take the two-story hive or 

 any tall hive filled with comb, with the brood nest in 

 the lower apartment. In the heat of the day the bees 

 occupy all parts of the hive, but at night, or on cool 

 days, and especially mornings, there is a large, com- 

 pact mass or crust of bees clustered just above the 

 brood, in order to retain the necessary warmth below 

 too, or for the development of the brood. Hence 

 the reluctance in many cases and in many seasons, 

 of bees taking possession of top boxes. They may, 

 and frequently do, take possession in the heat of the 

 day, but the nights are cool, or a change in the weather 

 compels them to go below to protect their brood. 

 But, says the advocate of the two-story hive, we com- 

 pel the bees to take possession of the upper story, by 

 placing a part of the brood in the upper story; jes, 

 but at the same time you compel more bees to 6tay 

 at home if the weather is somewhat cool, in order to 

 guard this brood, thus losing their labors as outside 

 workers. All will allow that a single-story hive is 

 best in spring and fall. Now, if this is so, why not 

 bust at all times? 



With our understanding of this matter, and that 

 too without any prejudice or preconceived notions, 

 we have become thoroughly couvinced that a horizon- 

 tal hive of some form is the best at all times, and 

 if so, what form is the very best ? 



We have been experimenting, the past season, with 

 two forms, and we are not yet prepared to render a 

 judgment, which of the two is best. One is our large 

 twin hive, and the other is the Adair form or New- 

 Idea nive, containing the same combs or frames. We 

 think that all will allow, that in a large yield of 

 honey, we must have a large hive, and I have found 

 that in such a hive 3 both the twin and the New-Idea 



