276 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



and this procession of heat-bearing par- 

 ticles of air is continued until there is a 

 perfect equilibrium of heat throughout 

 the enclosure. To obtain the full benefit 

 of the non-conducting qualities of air, 

 we must therefore confine it into very 

 small spaces, so that any motion of its 

 particles may be as far as possible pre- 

 vented. Other things being equal, that 

 is the best non-conductor that contains 

 most air, finely divided and incapable of 

 motion. 



Mr. M. M. Baldridge has very kindly 

 sent me samples of a pai)er roofing that 

 he has used for covering packing cases, 

 that is certainly far superior to anything 

 of the kind I ever saw before. It is 

 called " Bodine Roofing." The cost is 

 said to be about the same as good shin- 

 gles. It would be much lighter, and is 

 apparently very durable. It is likely 

 that it might be profitably used for cov- 

 ering bee-hives instead of tin. It is 

 made for roofing in sheets 26x38 inches, 

 and is made to lap much the same as 

 roofing iron. 



A correspondent on page 151 advises 

 packing 8 colonies in one box. There 

 would indeed be economy of heat, and in 

 the material required for making such 

 packing boxes. But such boxes would, 

 from their size, be much more unwieldy, 

 especially the covers. The disturbance 

 of the bees, which is unavoidable in all 

 handling where more than one colony is 

 packed in a box, would be doubled. 

 Eight hives would be top many to have 

 in a group for summer, and it would be 

 troublesome to move that number close 

 together from ordinary positions. They 

 could not be placed so as to form a com- 

 pact bunch, with the entrances on all 

 sides as he suggests, unless half of them 

 had the entrance at the side of the hive, 

 which would not be desirable. Neither 

 do I think it would be best to have any 

 face the north, nor would it be conven- 

 ient to work around hives that could be 

 reached only from the front. 



Ottawa, Ills. 



■ ■ ^ 



Bee-Hives -A New One that 

 Iflay Prove Valuable. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 

 W. J. CULLINAN. 



Notwithstanding all that has been 

 said and written to the contrary, and 

 the slight importance attached to this 

 very important part of the machinery 

 of practical apiculture, I am inclined to 

 believe that the kind of hive we use has 



as much to do with our success, com- 

 paratively speaking, as the kind of bees 

 we keep ; and not only does the hive cut 

 an important figure in the successful 

 keeping of bees, and the economical pro- 

 duction of honey, but the frame also, 

 and the two together go a long way 

 toward solving the problem of cheap 

 production; and since it is only by cut- 

 ting down the cost of production that we 

 can cope with a declining market, and 

 get any profit out of the business, this 

 question of cheap production becomes of 

 paramount importance. I hold that the 

 first move in the direction of cheapening 

 production is to lessen labor ; and how 

 shall we expect to lessen labor except 

 through ease and rapidity of manipula- 

 tion ? 



If we can so construct our hives and 

 frames (of the latter I may speak later), 

 and change our manner of manipulation 

 that one man can do the work of two, 

 and at the same time obtain as good or 

 better results than formerly, may we 

 not add the wages of one man for every 

 day we work in the apiary to our former 

 profits ? Of course it will cost some- 

 thing to make the change ; but suppose 

 it costs all of the extra profits the first 

 year, we are really not out anything, 

 and we can put those extra profits into 

 our pocket each year thereafter, and be 

 greatly benefited. 



According to my notion, a bee-hive for 

 the general bee-keeper should possess at 

 least these three essential features : 



Ist. The successful wintering and 

 springing, and comfortable summering 

 of bees out-of-doors, without other pro- 

 tection than the hive, for so most of the 

 bees are kept. 



2nd. The encouragement of brood- 

 rearing to the highest possible degree at 

 certain times, as the case requires. 



3rd. It should be light, and subject to 

 easy and rapid manipulation at all times. 



It is claimed by many that bees winter 

 as well in single-walled as in double- 

 walled hives, but I am inclined to doubt 

 it in case of severe winters. I have 

 tested them side by side, but not in a 

 severe winter, and while they did go 

 through the winter in the single-walled 

 hives in about as good condition, they 

 fell behind very appreciably when spring 

 came, and did not come up to the honey- 

 flow in as good condition by one-third as 

 they did in the double-walled hives. 

 And now, after an experience of four 

 years with the same, my preference is 

 for a thick-walled hive — especially where 

 they are to stand out-of-doors the year 



