1R97. 



THE AMERICAN BEE KEEPER. 



137 





Ed. Am. Bee Keeper, Dear Sir, — 

 Noticing an article, " Best all Seasons 

 Hive," in the March Bee Keeper, 

 made me think that perhaps you would 

 like to hear from others who use the 

 Falcon Chaff Hive. 



In the spring of '98 an Uncle gave 

 us a hive of bees. I smile when I 

 think how very much afraid I was of 

 them. We worked the first year for 

 increase, and in the fall had 19 lbs. of 

 honey and six good swarms of bees in 

 Portico hives, which we wintered suc- 

 cessfully by packing them in straw. 

 After much study of the hive question 

 we bought Falcon chaff hives with 

 opening on one side. Last fall we 

 had 40 chaff hives and 10 portico 

 hives well filled with bees and honey. 

 We use nine frames instead of ten. 

 Today there aie three swarms in por- 

 tico hives dead and one that was win- 

 tered in a chaff hive. We do not 

 move the hives about. They are plac- 

 ed on a good stand and there they 

 stay. We have two or three light 

 boxes with cloth covers attached to 

 one side to use at swarming time. 

 When the swarm issues I go to the 

 hive as soon as the bees are out, take 

 off the supers and set the old frames, 

 all but one, into these light boxes, 

 leaving a frame of drone brood in the 

 old hive and put in six frames with 

 starters, or five frames if it is a small 

 swarm. 1 replace the supers, close 

 the hive and hive the swarm on the 

 old stand. If I use the brood in the 



box to strengthen weak colonies I 

 brush all the bees in front of the old 

 hive or T set them all into a new hive. 

 When I am short of hives I take out 

 the division boards and then the new 

 hive will hold the brood for two 

 swarms. This will be full of bees 

 very quickly and if it casts a swarm 

 it will be good for something. We 

 use combined crates as your Falcon 

 surplus case is too wide, holding 36 

 sections. We might get the case in- 

 tended for the Portico hive holding 24 

 sections, but did not think of this at 

 first and do not like to change. I 

 think the sections will come out of 

 the case with the section holders easi- 

 er than they do from the combined 

 crate. 



I have to take almost entire charge 

 of the bees in the swarming season as 

 my husband is busily engaged with 

 other work, and I know that our way 

 is easier than lifting even 8 frame 

 hives. When I find a hive with 

 queen cells I set the frames out 

 in my box and fix the hives the same 

 as I do when they swarm, and then 

 shake the bees down in front of the 

 hive. This saves lots of work and I 

 do not see any difference in the work 

 of the bees. Some say they will not 

 work as well and last year I thought 

 they might swarm if they wanted to, 

 but when I had five swarms issue at 

 the same time and all cluster on one 

 limb 1 changed my mind, and the 

 next day I went over the whole yard 

 and gave them all the artificial swarm- 

 ing they wanted. 



We think the Falcon Chaff Hive 

 the best, first, last and all the time. 

 There is no worry about heat or cold, 

 no dummies to look after in contract- 



