THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



127 



to use tbe two-story hive, both for space and 

 cost, and to have 'the hive compact with the 

 store frames above, where the bees are better 

 able to protect them. The heat of the breeding 

 apartment below ascending also evaporates the 

 water from the newly-gathered honey. 



Let bee-keepers, who have suffered from loss 

 of bees in single hives in winter, have a case 

 made and try one double hive this coming win- 

 ter. It will almost pay for itself in the saving 

 of honey through the fall and spring. Report 

 the result of the experiment in the Bee Jour- 

 nal, and let those who are troubled with the 

 molh miller, try the above-mentioned method 

 of cure, and report likewise. 



I think the foregoing answers all the objec- 

 tions yet urged against Mr. Langstroth's hive. 

 I discarded the single hive for its non-wintering 

 and worm-cherishing qualities. I used the sin- 

 gle standard hive. Neither it nor any other 

 single hive is fit, I think, to put a swarm into, 

 nine months in the year, in our cold and windy 

 climate. But the Double Hive, made so that 

 the frames will not go nearer than one inch of 

 the bottom, nor within five-eighths or three- 

 fourths of an inch of the top, with plenty of 

 room between the ends of the frames and the 

 hive, and with the other alterations I have sug- 

 gested, will winter bees well on their summer 

 stands in this climate if any will; and they will 

 be entirely free from millers. In tiying to 

 make the hive which I invented overcome the 

 nbove objections, I found out what would re- 

 move them in the Langstroth hive, and have 

 correspondingly altered those I have on hand. 

 The above is a full description of the alteration, 

 and shows how it works. 



John M. Price. 

 Buffalo Grove, Iowa. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Size and Shape of Hives. 



On this subject there exists a great diversity 

 of opinion among bee-keepers, but in view 

 of all that I have yet read, heard, or seen, I 

 have come to the conclusion that the cubic 

 form is on the whole best adapted to the bees. 

 To approximate most closely to this form, in 

 combination with the most recent improve- 

 ments, was therefore my steady endeavor in the 

 construction of my hive — striving, however, to 

 avoid running from one extreme to another, 

 and preferring to aim at an attainable medium. 

 This desired cubic form can, I conceive, be 

 readily approached by the Langstroth hive, and 

 I therefore made my hives fifteen inches square 

 and twelve inches high; and in these hives my 

 bees have always worked to great advantage. 

 But, in my opinion, Italian bees need smaller 

 hives than black bees, wherefore I have latterly 

 made mine only twelve inches broad, calcu- 

 lated for eight frames. The combs in these 

 hives are just as conveniently handled as those 

 in hives only ten inches high; and I think that 

 in high latitudes bees will winter better in such 

 hives. Mr. Grimm, however, uses exclusively 

 hives only ten inches high, and I cannot yet 



state positively whether my bees have been 

 more productive than his. I propose to try 

 some ten inch hives next year, to ascertain the 

 difference in my own apiary. There has thus 

 far been no want of space for surplus honey 

 boxes on my hives, for my bees have never yet 

 been able to fill a single set arranged for twenty- 

 eight pounds; though I expect to realize better 

 results when I shall be able to provide myself 

 with a sufficiency of empty combs to furnish a 

 set of frames six inches high over the entire top. 

 A colony of black bees which did not swarm 

 yielded sixty pounds of honey in a second story, 

 furnished with frames containing empty combs. 

 An Italian colony produced a strong swarm, 

 and yielded thirty pounds of honey in a super 

 six inches high, rilled with empty combs. Ital- 

 ian bees, however, are prone to fill up their 

 hives with honey, thus unduly contracting the 

 brooding space. Tbe homy-emptying machine 

 will enable us to regulate this matter advanta- 

 geously. 



Nevertheless, I conceive that in more south- 

 erly countries the ten inch high hive, ki the broad 

 shallow things,'''' could he employed to most ad- 

 vantage; though it seems to me that in this re- 

 gion my twelve inch high hives are usually 

 more populous than those of Mr. Grimm. 



The tine fall pasturage which we have had 

 here this year has placed bees in general in better 

 condition for wintering than was the case in 

 several previous years. 



W. Wolff. 



Jefferson, Wis. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Ligurian Bees and Size of Hives. 



Mr. Editor : — I see in the November num- 

 ber of the Bee Journal, vol. IV, a correspon- 

 dence from Mr. William Carr, of near Man- 

 chester, England, setting forth some of the 

 points of superiority of the Ligurian over the 

 common English or black bees. He instances 

 a swarm sent away by him to Exeter in 1866 

 that gave off three swarms, the first of which 

 sent one and the second two from a queen of the 

 current year. So this one stock that year in- 

 creased to seven. Now, to corroborate in part 

 the credit of the Ligurian bee, I will say that in 

 1867 I set apart two hives of Ligurian bees to 

 allow them to swarm naturally, (as I practice 

 artificial swarming generally.) No. 1 swarmed 

 June 3d, and gave off four swarms. Its first 

 gave off three; its second two from a queen of the 

 current year. No. 2 swarmed June 6th, and 

 gave oft" Jive swarms. Its first and second 

 swarms gave one each, one from a queen of the 

 current year. Making in all fifteen swarms — 

 one mingled with other bees and was not iden- 

 tified, thus increasing the two stocks to sixteen, 

 all of which wintered. From hive No. 2 I 

 took thirty -five pounds of surplus honey in the 

 fall, and a considerable quantity from No. 1, 

 of which no account was kept. 



I am like some other Brother Jonathans, and 

 do not like to be excelled by our cousins over 

 the water. The above result was obtained 



