182 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[Feb., 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



The Thomas Hive. 



Mr. Editor :— I notice in the Novembernum- 

 ber of the Bee Journal, "some few errors" cor- 

 rected with regard to the Thomas hive, by Mr. 

 Cork, of Bloomfield, Ontario. 



Mr. C. speaks for Canada, and consequently 

 when he and several other "intelligent and 

 scientific bee-keepers" have put their veto on the 

 Thomas hive, it is time that those who make 

 bee-keeping "a business" should adopt some 

 other form of hive, that would be better adapted 

 for the production of surplus honey and early 

 swarming. The question then arises, what hive 

 will we use? The Langstroth or something 

 "similar in shape," Alley's new style, or will we 

 choose from the numberless others that are and 

 have been recommended by the bee-keepers and 

 vendors of hives in America? And, after all, 

 will we get any more surplus honey, which is, 

 or ought to be the great object of keeping bees? 



Mr. C. seems to think that his shallow hives 

 have produced more surplus honey and earlier 

 swarms, than the Thomas hive. At least thus I 

 read his article ; and as he compares the result 

 of his own hives with those of his neighbors, of 

 course he decides the hive question in Canada. 

 Still, I doubt if there are not more Thomas hives 

 in use, in Canada, than of any other kind of 

 movable comb hive. 



I have used the Thomas hive five seasons, and 

 think, from the account Mr. C. has given of this 

 season's operations, that mine would compare 

 favorably with his. The locality ought to be 

 taken in consideration, with regard to the time 

 of swarming, and thinks that in the vicinity of 

 Ontawa, they should not swarm so early as at 

 Bloomfield, Ontario, some ninety miles further 

 south. The time that I remove my bees from 

 winter quarters, is generally about the 25th of 

 April ; and even then I have seen a foot of snow 

 on the ground. This year I removed them about 

 the 20th of April, the season being earlier than 

 usual. I wintered fifty-seven stocks — fifty good 

 ones, and seven poor or weak. The seven weak 

 stocks gave no increase in swarms and very little 

 surplus honey. 



About one half of the fifty-seven stocks were 

 either Italians or hybrids. The fifty-seven stocks 

 increased to ninety-six, and gave twenty-five hun- 

 dred and seventy (2570) pounds of sui-plus 

 honey. Two thousand and seventy in boxes, 

 and five hundred pounds of machine honey. 

 My first swarm of the season came off" June 1st, 

 and stored 59 pounds of honey in boxes : the 

 second swarm came on the 2d of .lune, and 

 stored 61 pounds in boxes, the third swarm, 

 on the 3d of June, stored 48 pounds, and cast a 

 swarm, which prevented it from storing any 

 more surplus honey. One hive that did not 

 swarm, gave 83 pounds in boxes, and another 

 78 pounds. I had at least twelve swarms pre- 

 vious to the 13th of June. 



The swarms that came off before the 20th of 

 June averaged about 40 pounds each, some of 

 them giving 50 pounds. The honey season 

 closed here about the 15th of July, and some of 



the swarms that came off after the 20th of June 

 scarcely stored enough honey to winter. I only 

 divided three swarms ; they did as well as others 

 that swarmed about the same time. Had I been 

 able to attend to them, I might have increased 

 the amount of surplus honey. I was away 

 nearly a fortnight during the best of the honey 

 season, leaving others to attend to the hiving of 

 the bees and nothing more. Seven of my first 

 swarms left for the woods, three of those on 

 the 5th of June, there being eight swarms that 

 day. 



Now, I ask the readers of the Journal, and 

 also Mr. C, considering the latitude, did not my 

 bees in the Thomas hive do as well as Mr. C.'s 

 did in the shallow hive, or in Alley's new style 

 of Langstroth hive? AVliy should mine swarm 

 on the first of June, and almost each succeeding 

 day, in a colder climate, and Mr. C. having the 

 early swarming shallow hive, and yet has not a 

 swarm until the 13th of June? We will allow 

 that his bees were wintered well, as I claim 

 mine were ; then the cause must be that the 

 shallow hive does not retain sufiicient heat for 

 early breeding. 



Mr. C.'s neighbor found this "a very bad sea- 

 son," although living only five miles distant 

 from him. My neighbor also found this a very 

 bad season, living only one mile distant, and he 

 had two Tliomas hives. I was informed that 

 his bees were not storing any surplus honey, and 

 upon examination, I found one with the honey 

 box wrong side up ; while the other had no honey 

 box on, and the bees had taken possession of 

 the cover of the hive. 



I have to inform Mr. C. that Mr. W. P. Taylor, 

 of Fitzroy Harbor, " who was formerly an agent," 

 is still an agent for the Thomas hive. Although 

 the shallow Langstroth hive may be "just the 

 tiling," still I think I have wintered mine as 

 well, have had as early swarms, and have got as 

 much, if not more, surplus honey, than those 

 who are using the shallow hive in this vicinity. 



As I not do not make a "business" of bee- 

 keeping, of course I may use the Thomas hive ; 

 which I intend doing just so long as it pays as 

 well as this season ; and until I find a hive that 

 has more good qualities and fewer faults. 



I generally winter my bees in a cellar. I put 

 in 61 stocks last fall. One died, which I think 

 was queenless ; one was queenless in the spiing ; 

 and two weak swarms died in the spring for want 

 of honey. About 40 of them wei'e taken out 

 with only a sprinkling of dead bees on the bot- 

 tom board. Some of the others had a pint, and 

 some a quart, of dead bees. My best Italian 

 hive had about two quarts of dead bees ; of 

 course, I thought if it swarmed this season it 

 would be late, and was sui-i)rised when a swarm 

 issued on the 2d of June, which gave the 61 lbs. 

 of honey in boxes. The hive itself gave 35 llis. 

 of honey in boxes and 15 lbs. of machine honey. 



This hive, had a young queen and was protec- 

 ted fi"om cold winds in the spring. I do not 

 mind a few dead bees in the hive. Old bees 

 must die. 



My hives were generally free from mould ; a 

 few were quite damp ; although when i)ut in all 

 were ventilated alike. I believe that hives ought 



