THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



187 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



The Diamond Moveable Frame Hive. 



Mr. Editor : — As I promised, in the Decem- 

 ber number, to give the readers of the Journal 

 a view of the hive I invented several years ago 

 and patented last October, I herewith send you 

 the electrotype. 



The idea first came into my mind of using a 

 diamond shaped frame, in the summer of 1862, 

 while us.ng a triangular shaped hive of Mr. 

 Flanders, and noticing his claims and the ad- 

 vantage of tipping the hive, so as to have one 

 coiner or angle of the frame point upward when 

 prepared for winter. Acting upon the idea, I 

 tacked the top of two of his triangular frames 

 together, having one angle point up and ihe 

 other down, giving it the appearance of a dia- 

 mond shape with the bar across the middle. I 

 fitted the frames of two hives together in that 

 way, and then inverted the empty hive and 

 placed it over tue frames for a cap. It gave 

 me no place for surplus honey boxes, but it 

 made a splendid hive for brood chamber ; and 

 my bees did so well in it, that I improved on it 

 iu cheapness of construction, by adopting the 

 rectangular frame and square box or case, as 

 you see, having the frames but partially (say 

 two thirds) fill the hive, and leaving a space on 

 the two upper sides of the frame under the lids 

 or covers for super boxes. 



I have two* styles of rectangular frames in 

 use. I first made the frames of three-quarter 

 inch square strips, cutting the ends in a mitre 

 box, so that ODe edge or angle of the frame 

 would be against the hive, and the other would 

 form a \ shape for comb guide, securing them at 

 equal distances apirt by bent wire saddles, as in 

 the triangular frame hive of Mr. Flanders. 

 The bees in building comb will follow down the 

 angle of the frame, commencing at the upper 

 part or angle, and the combs will be built 

 straight in the frame every time, "no excep- 

 tions." I then tried the flat frames, say three- 

 eighths or half-inch thickness, letting them rest 

 on cleats or strips at the side angles of the frames. 

 And, now, to secure straight combs in these flat 

 frames, without the triangular comb guides, 

 was the question. Aaron Benedict, a Quaker 

 friend, of this place, while raising Italian queen 

 bees on Kelley's Island, in 1866 and 1867, told 

 me that his friend with whom he boarded, Mr. 

 Charles Carpenter, became interested in bees as 

 well as grapes, and in making some new hives 

 and frames, he used a marking guage along the 

 center of the frames, and filled the crease or 

 mark with bees wax, and the bees built the 



combs straight in ihe frames every time, com- 

 mencing along the line of wax. I therefore 

 adopted that idea, and find they have built every 

 comb straight, and I have reason to believe that 

 there is "no exception " to this rule also. 



From specification of Patent No. 83,257, 

 dated October 20, 1868. "This invention relates 

 to a bee hive so constructed that the case and 

 the frames therein are arranged obliquely to the 

 table or platform on which the hive rests. A 

 represents a frame in which is secured the hive 

 B. Said hive is a rectangular or otherwise an- 

 gular box, and stands on the platform C of the 

 frame on the vertex of the angle of two of its 

 sides, as shown in the drawing. The upper 

 sides are hinged to the case at the side angle of 

 the same, so that they may be opened from the 

 top or ridge, whereby access is had to the in- 

 terior of the hive, and which doors or covers 

 serve as a roof for the protection of the same. 

 Or the box maybe divided horizontally through 

 the middle, and the upper half removed for ac- 

 cess to the inside. In the lower angles of the 

 interior of the hive is arranged a series of rec- 

 tangular comb frames, (' ' I use twelve. ' ' ) Said 

 frames are each supported in position by brack- 

 ets, cleats, or other device, whereby they are 

 held from contact with the sides of the hive and 

 each other. The frames occupy a little more 

 than one-fourth of the interior of the hive, and 

 that the lower angle or section; whereas the rest 

 of the hive is occupied by the honey boxes, 

 placed upon and in immediate connection with 

 the frames — a communication being established 

 between the two, by means of bee passages cut 

 in the sides of the boxes next to the frames. 0, 

 the platform referred to, serves as an alighting 

 board. At the lower angle of the hive is the 

 bee passage of half an inch the whole length of 

 the hive, contracted or closed by the movable 

 strip secured by a button. The cleat across the 

 hive horizontally keeps the ends from warping, 

 and also serves for a convenient handle for lift- 

 ing the hive. Said doors or covers are cleated 

 across the ends, and the upper one across the 

 top; the cleats being half an inch wider than 

 the thickness of the doors, to keep the doors 

 from warping, and also to serve as a cornice, 

 shutting clown over the edge of the hive. 



By placing the hive in the peculiar oblique 

 position shown, it is easily kept clean by the 

 bees, as all the dirt and waste tails to one point, 

 the lower angle of the chamber, and passes out 

 of the hive. By placing the movable frames in 

 a correlative angle with the box or chamber, 

 and but partially filling the same, leaves a large 

 space on the two upper sides of the frames tor 

 honey boxes, (if we prefer them to the honey- 

 emptier,) to which access is conveniently had, 

 for removal or for inspection, by the folding 

 doors or roof. The instinct of the bee leads it 

 commence building at some angle, and that 

 the most elevated or remote from the main en- 

 trance. To provide for this instinctive tendency 

 of the creature, the oblique position of tlie 

 frames offers such an angle to their w r ants. The 

 upper one being the point from which they pro- 

 ceed to build the comb, is suited to either a 

 large or small swarm, as the bees concentrate 

 the heat in the upper point and thereby save all 



