THE AMERICAN BEE JOUENAL AND GAZETTE. 



235 



[Frem the Canada Farmer.] 



Medium Hives vs. Large Hivps, for the 

 Production of Surplus Honey. 



To the Editor of the Canada Farmer : 



Sir: — It is thought by some that the object of 

 bee-keeping should diterunne the size of the 

 hive; that is, if the object be to increase swarms, 

 sma 1 hives should be used, but if to obtain sur- 

 plus honey large hives should be used. This 

 opinion is supported by certain German apia- 

 rians, as may be seen from a quotation from the 

 American Bee Journal, made by " Briar" in 

 the Canada Farmer^ of March 15. German au- 

 thority upon many points in apiarian science is 

 of the highest standard, yet still with them, as a 

 people, there is a great amount of superstition, 

 of which it is hard to rid them. It is owing to 

 this, I fancy, that some of them still advocate 

 large hives for the production of surplus honey. 

 American bee-keepers have long since found 

 that it is strong stocks — large swarms, and not 

 large hives, that produce large amounts of sur- 

 plus honey. It is a mistaken notion that a 

 large barn of a hive will contain a correspond- 

 ingly large number of bees. If such hives were 

 examined after they became tilled with combs, 

 the breeding space would be found no larger 

 than iu hives of much smaller dimensions. But 

 it may appear to some that there would be 

 more room for the bees, therefore they would 

 not swarm, but increase in numbers until the 

 colony becomes very numerous. But it should 

 be understood that room to a bee is a place to 

 work in — a place to store honey, which is no 

 more to be found iu a large hive, once filled, 

 than in a medium one ; hence in either case 

 they will swarm unless more space is given to 

 them where they can store honey. It is also 

 found that swarms cast from large hives are 

 generally no larger than those cast from a me- 

 dium hive, which is good evidence that the 

 colony is no larger. What advantage, then, 

 have the same number of bees in a large hive 

 in producing surplus honey ? They may have 

 more honey in the hive, but such honey is uo't 

 marketable ; and while they were placing it in 

 the body of the hive, they might have put it in 

 boxes suitable for market, had the hive been 

 smaller. . For illustration let us suppose that A 

 and B are neighbors, and both commence bee- 

 keeping at the same time this coming spring, 

 their object being the production of honey. A 

 buys a swarm and puts it into a medium sized 

 hive, containing say 2,000 .inches : B buys a 

 swarm and puts it into a large hive, containing 

 5,000 inches. In neither hive is the queen lim- 

 ited for breeding space. Now what will .be the 

 results in two or more years, allowing that 

 their bees do well ? In ten or fifteen days after 

 the swarms are put into the hive, A's swarm 

 has filled the body of the hive, and commenced 

 to fill a box which will hold 20 lbs. B's swarm 

 has not yet filled the body of the hive half full ; 

 however, like A's swarm, it has built sutiicient 

 comb for breeding purposes, and commenced to 

 store surplus honey iu the body of the hive, 

 where they have room for storing 100 lbs. In 

 ten days A's swarm has filled the box, and it is 

 j-emoved, and a second box put on, which they 



at once commence to fill. B's swarm, of course, 

 has stored a like amount, 20 lbs., but it is in the 

 body of the hive; ten days more, and the honey 

 harvest is over. A's swarm has filled the sec- 

 ond box, which is removed ; making altogether 

 40 lbs. surplus honey, which at Iwenty-live 

 cents amounts to |ld00 B's swarm has de- 

 posited the same, but as it is necessary that the 

 body of the hive be filled, it is not available. 

 At the end of the first year, A has realized 

 40 lbs. of honey or $10. B has realized nothing. 

 The stocks are now put into winter quarters 

 under the following conditions. A's stock has 

 a store of honey for winter use, say 40 lbs. B's 

 stock has a like amount, and 40 lbs. extra, not 

 required, and empty space in the hive sufficieut 

 to hold 60 lbs. more. During the winter 20 lbs. 

 each is consumed. Spring opens with a good 

 honey harvest, and the result will be as follows: 

 A's stock will fill a box of 20 lbs. and cast a 

 swarm which will fill another hive, and make 

 40 lbs more of surplus honey. B's stock will 

 fill the hive, but having sufiicient room to work, 

 will not swarm. At the end of the second year 

 A will have received 100 lbs. surplus honey, 

 worth $25, and will have two stocks of bees. 

 B will have but one stock of bees, and no sur- 

 plus honey. True, his hive would contain 

 about 100 ibs. of honey, which if in a movable 

 comb hive might be removed, but it would be 

 unfit for market. It may, however, be .supposed 

 by some that as B's stock has not swarmed it 

 must contain a very large quantity of bees, and 

 having an abundance of honey in the hive, 

 will be prepared the third year to produce more 

 honey, by far, than both of A's stocks. Such, 

 however, is not the ca.se. If the stocks be ex- 

 amined in the spring of the third j'ear, it will 

 be found that B's large hive will contain but 

 few if any more bees than either of A's hives. 

 The reason is this: a queen cannot raise her 

 colony above a certain number, varying from 

 sixty to eighty thousand, according to the pro- 

 lificness of the queen. But allowing that B"s 

 stock is somewhat larger, and produces 25 lbs. 

 of honey the third year, and casts a swarm 

 which produces 40 lbs. of honey, A's stock will 

 each produce 20 lbs. and cast a swarm, which 

 swarms will produce 40 lbs each, making the 

 results of the third year stand thus : A 120 lbs. 

 of honey and two swarms. B 30 lbs. of honey 

 and one swarm. The results for the three 

 years would be, that A receives 220 lbs. of sur- 

 plus honey, worth $55, and three swarms of 

 bees ; B receives 60 lbs. ot honey, worth f 15, 

 and one swarm of bees ; making the profits of 

 a medium hive over a large one in three years 

 amount to IGO lbs. of honey or $40, and two 

 swarms of bees. If any person doubts the cor- 

 rectness of the above calculation, let him try 

 the experiment and he will be convinced of its 

 truthfulness. J. H. Thomas. 



For the American Bee Jimrnal and Gazette. 



A String of Questions— No. 2. 

 In No. 11, I find answers to my questions in 

 No. 10, by two writers. I can a.ssure the 

 writers that I am much pleased with their an- 

 swers, even though Va^y do not exactly coincide 

 with my views. The main object of these in- 



