1870.] 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



103 



"Winchester, OJdo, June 21. 

 "If the apiarian finds that they ■will not settle, 

 all that is necessary is for him to take a looking-- 

 glass and place it in such a i^osition that it will 

 reflect the rays of the sun amono; the hees, and 

 they will generally settle immediately." 



I write for the American Bee Journal for a 

 purpose different from the object of a teacher, 

 and when 1 appear as such, will be willing to 

 wear a garb that will not fit Ignoramus. But, 

 at the same time, if anything from me serves the 

 purpose of teaching, it will be all right with 

 your brother in bee-culture best known as 



Ignokamus. 

 Saioyersville, N. C, Oct. 1, 1870. 



[For the Americaa Bee Journal.] 



More About the Looking-Glass. 



I see on pages 34 and 35, Vol. VI of the A. B. 

 Journal, that Mr. H. Nesbit seems to doubt 

 the efficacy of the looking-glass for stoi)ping a 

 swarm of bees. I would like to tell him an 

 instance, and see if he doubts longer. A near 

 neighbor of mine was at work foi* me one day, 

 when his wife called him, for the bees were 

 swarming. We went to his house and the bees 

 were just clustering on a tree near by. He got 

 a hive and was going to hive them, when they 

 started to go off". He took a lai-ge looking-glass 

 and ran to get up with them, for by this time 

 they had got fifteen or twenty rods from where 

 they had clustered. He reflected the rays of the 

 sun upon them, and they soon began to think of 

 lighting. As there were no trees near by, they 

 began to cluster on his hat ; and he, being some- 

 what afraid of bees, made good time fm- the 

 house, I assure you. They then settled on a post in 

 the fence near by, and were hived. In about an 

 hour they concluded to try for the woods again ; 

 but the looking-glass brought them down once 

 more, and they were hived a second time. In 

 two hours after they started the third time. It 

 being cloudy at the time, they made their escape, 

 as the looking-glass would not work without the 

 sun. Now, was the queen tired or defective, or 

 was it the looking-glass that jn'oved efficient? 

 There were several i^ersons, nearly a mile distant, 

 who saw the reflected rays of the sun, their at- 

 tention being called from their work by the 

 brightness of the reflection. I am inclined to 

 think it was the looking-glass, instead of the 

 queen being tired or defective. I have since 

 tried it, and never failed to stop a swarm when 

 the sun shone. 



G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



Borodino, N. T., Sept. 13, 1870. 



Posel says that if a colony has suff"ered from 

 hunger for twenty-four hours, the fertility of the 

 queen will be greatly impaired, and never be re- 

 covered. 



All futures are possible to Young Samson. 

 The lion in his path he throttles, turning his 

 carcass into a bee-hive. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



The Hive Question. 



This question has again been revived for dis- 

 cussion in the Journal, and several of our pat- 

 entees and vendors have made pretty free use 

 of its columns for "blowing" their i:>articular 

 inventions and wares. Prominent among them 

 is Mr. J. 11. Thomas ; and as I have had some 

 experience with his hive, I wish to have my say 

 about it in particular, and other hives in general. 

 Mr. T. has gotten up a neat and substantial hive, 

 and has admirably adapted the use of frames to 

 the old form of the common box-hive — tall in 

 proportion to its length and breadth. The frames 

 are fixed in their relation to each other, but are 

 as easily moved laterally, when desired, as the 

 frames of any other hive. As there are only 

 eight frames, they can be taken out and exam- 

 ined, when lookingTor queens, &c., quicker than 

 can be done with hives containing a greater 

 number of frames, and this seems to be consid- 

 ered by some as of great importance. But I do 

 not consider facilities for looking up queens, the 

 most important requisite of a good hive ; and I 

 find in the fact of its having so few frames a 

 very serious objection. In order to have the 

 jjroper number of square inches of comb in a 

 few frames, tliey have to be made comparatively 

 large, which is the case with these. The frames 

 are so large tliat, in very hot weather, when the 

 hive is exjjosed to the sun, and the combs are 

 full of honey, they break down and fall out of 

 the frames, making a very undesiral)le muss in 

 the hive. I have had this to happen repeatedly, 

 even in his "double wall "self protecting hive," 

 so called, with all the ventilation that could be 

 given it. By the way, he has lately made a 

 change in the ventilation, by enlarging the 

 entrance (an improvement) and by closing the 

 inch and hole covered with wire cloth, in the 

 bottom board, and making another in the back 

 and about an inch above the bottom board. I 

 do not know which is according to "scientific 

 principles," and whether an improvement or 

 not. It is true this breaking down of combs 

 might be prevented by shading the hive ; but 

 the " best hive in America " ought not to require 

 this, as we do not always want oar hives shaded. 

 There are several other minor objections to 

 Mr. T.'s hives, but a still more important one 

 will be mentioned presently. 



Five years ago Mr. T.'s hive might have been 

 considered a very good one, but "the world 

 moves," and no single department has made 

 greater strides of progress in the last ten years 

 than apiculture. His, and all similar hives, lack 

 one important feature to make.it adapted to the 

 jjresent wants of all progressive bee-keepers. 

 No hive should now claim perfection without 

 being easily provided with extra frames for sur- 

 plus honej' to be used in the honey extractor, 

 and these frames should be of the same size as 

 those in the body of the hive. It should be well 

 adapted to the use of the division board, with 

 room at side or ends for surplus frames, or be 

 easily and conveniently converted into a two- 

 story hive, with frames in the upper story the 



