50 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



[Sept. 



We tliink with Adair that the width of 

 frames should always exceed the depth. How- 

 ever, suppose we had an order to make a hive 

 of Gallup frames and we did have such an order 

 from Prof. Cook, of Michigan, Agricultural Col- 

 lege. Three stories of eight frames each would 

 be very bad ; and the whole twenty-four sjoread 

 horizontally in a hive three feet long would 

 take much room, much lumber, and must all be 

 carried into winter quarters, or none, supposing 

 it as good economy of brooding space for bees. 

 We decided on two Simplicity hives with 12 

 frames each as best, all things considered. Do 

 not most of our readers agree with us. Were it 

 not for wishing to take only one-half the combs 

 into winter quarters, we might have placed two 

 stories of such tall frames side by side a la 

 Gallup's " twin hive," or has he abandoned that 

 form? Mr. G.'s locality might make a dif- 

 lerence, yet he says they get almost no box 

 honey. (See page 24.) 



That don't agree with Adair, 



The new idea hive (four feet long is new 

 certainly), works very well, with suspended 

 frames, of course ; we are watching some belong- 

 ing to a friend and they prove very convenient 

 for the extractor. If bees could be wintered in 

 them safely out of doors, and without too great 

 additional consumption of food, we think they 

 might be considerably used. 



Novice 



P. S. — We have this season, for the first time, 

 a queen that has so far, invariably jiroduced 

 duplicates of herself, finely marked yellow 

 queens. She was a present from R. M. Argo, 

 Lowell, Ky. 



[For the American Bee Journal.] 



Our Maiden Swarm. 



" Is there any danger of their swarming this 

 season?" asked Nellie, one day, as we were 

 wondering over the rapidity with which comb- 

 building and brood-rearing went on in our pet 

 colony, No. 3. (The colony of May 27th — the 

 colony which might have been a " natural" 

 swarm.) 



*' I think not," I replied. " Langstroth says 

 that ' a first swarm will sometimes swarm again, 

 about a month after it is hived ; but in Northern 

 climates this is a rare occurrence.' Now, ' rare 

 occurrences' don't happen with beginners like 

 US; they never do." 



" Still," suggested Nellie, " we may as well 

 keep a little watch of their proceedings." 



" My dear," I responded severely, (I always 

 say " my dear" to Nellie, when I wish to imply 

 reproof), " do you suppose that I shall allow 

 ariofher swarm to issue this season ?" 



Nellie did not rej^ly, and I suspected her of 

 biting her lips to repress a smile. After a 

 moment she said inquiringly : ■ 



"Such a swarm would be called a 'maiden 

 swarm — why f 



" Perhaps it is apt to be rather slender" I 

 guessed. 



" Which means that you know no more about 

 it than I do." 



"Yes." 



About July 4th the daily supply of honey 

 from the fields did not%qual the daily demand; 

 and from this time until July 13th we were 

 obliged to contribute to the support of four of 

 our five colonies. Then the basswood harvest 

 began. Four days later we examined No. 8, 

 and finding it very strong in numbers, with but 

 little to do below, (there was so much brood as 

 to leave little room for honey), we gave them 

 above a box containing two rows of nice little 

 frames. The pleasure it gave us to see the 

 bees, with little delay, go up and take pos- 

 session, was intense. No other word expresses 

 it. What a comfort and a joy was this colony! 

 Always at work — never sitting out and filling 

 us with apprehensions of possible leave-taking, 

 as did the bees at another hive. 



Never were they busier than on the morning 

 of July 22d. I peeped into the top, and raised 

 the covering from the box of little frames. Bees 

 at all the openings, quietly peered up at me— all, 

 seemingly, contented and happy ; and I walked 

 into the house, scattering smiles in all direc- 

 tions so lavishly, that once or twice I caught 

 Nellie looking at me somewhat apprehensively 

 — perhaps fearing that, if spent at that rate, 

 the supply would soon become exhausted. 



I think I smiled no more (that day) after one 

 p. m. ; about which time Richard called to me. 



"Cyula, your bees are swarming!" and hurry- 

 ing to the door, I saw, to my grief and vexation, 

 that it was our pet colony No. 3. 



I don't know much about the average size of 

 ' natural' swarms, yet I am confident that this 

 might have been called enormous, anywhere. 

 At any rate, it almost demolished the top of one 

 of our little apple trees. 



"And you call that a 'maiden' swarm!" said 

 Nellie, somewhat sarcastically, as we stood 

 looking at the great brown mass. I was obliged 

 to confess that it did have rather more of a 

 grandmotherly appearance. 



The hiving was not difficult; but it was a 

 somewhat tedious operation. The heat was op- 

 pressive ; but Nellie kindly held an umbrella 

 over the cluster to shield it from the sun, until 

 the greater part had been coaxed or driven into 

 the hive. 



We gave them all the space below, (ten 

 twelve-inch-square frames) ; for evidently they 

 needed it. At the old stand we found queen- 

 cells but just begun, and a comparatively small 

 stock of bees. But there was so much capped 

 brood that we concluded to leave matters as 

 they were. Only we lamented bitterly over our 

 blighted hope of surplus honey in little frames. 

 Sorrowfully we took them off; — some filled and 

 ready to cap; others half filled; others with 

 only a square inch or two of snowy comb. How- 



