948 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 15. 



Then our cup of anticipation was full of disap- 

 pointment, and also the bees were disappointed, 

 for many colonies were killing their drones be- 

 fore June. 



The 1.5th of June came, and no honey; and 

 up to this date my eight-frame hives, from all 

 appearances, both outside and inside, were just 

 as good as the ten-frame. By July the first 

 outside appearances showed no change; but 

 examination showed that the queens on the 

 eight frames had curtailed laying to a certain 

 extent, while in the ten-frame hives the queens 

 were keeping their combs full of eggs and brood. 

 July 18th many of the queens on the eight 

 frames had almost ceased laying. Combs were 

 empty, supplies exhausted; several of them did 

 not contain half a teacupful of honey to the 

 colony. It is no wonder the queens quit laying 

 — stores used up right in the midst of a long 

 drouth, and nothing coming in except a little 

 pollen to keep them from actual starvation. 



About this time I fancy I hear some veteran 

 whisper in thundering tones, " Why don't you 

 leed them?" To that one I reply, I'm testing 

 eight or ten frame hives. August 1st came, and 

 It began to look as though I should have to feed 

 all. Yet the ten-frame colonies had an abun- 

 dance of eggs, brood in all stages, and a host of 

 workers and some considerable old honey in 

 the outside frames. These two outside frames 

 constituted the capital that kept the queens 

 laying all through July. About Aug. 10 th^-y 

 began to get some honey, and by Sept. 1 the 

 honey-flow was good, and lasted up to about 

 the 8th or 10th of October, when frost killed the 

 flowers. 



My ten-frame colonies went into the supers, 

 and did good work at the commencement of the 

 flow, and continued there as long as it lasted. 

 The eight-frame colonies did not have a suffi- 

 cient number of workers to go to the supers at 

 the start, and four of them never got there at 

 all, but got in good shape for winter — plenty of 

 bees and abundant stores. The other six gave 

 me a surplus of 90 lbs. of section honey. I 

 worked 34 colonies on ten frames; had one 

 swarm only. It came out June 1. I hived it 

 on five full sheets of foundation, and fed a little 

 through June and July, and got from it 128 

 lbs. of section honey. My entire crop is a little 

 over 3300 lbs.; a little over 300 lbs. extracted, 

 and the rest section honey. 



Now, had the honey-flow come at the usual 

 season of the year, which is June, then the 

 eight-frame colonies were in good shape to take 

 care of it, and no doubt I should have adopted 

 this hive for my standard. This test has prov- 

 ed conclusively to me that it is too small to go 

 through an exceedingly dry year or a long siege 

 of forage, and then be in shape to take care of 

 a sudden honey-flow. It may do in localities 

 and off-years where the honey-flow is regular 

 at certain periods of the year; but where it 

 varies, give me the ten-frame hive. If the ten 



frames are well filled, this supply will last until 

 late in the summer; then if compelled to feed 

 for the coming winter, do so in time to raise a 

 good supply of bees to go into winter quartei'S. 



This year has been one of extremes, and I am 

 glad I made the test at this time. The test was 

 made with queens of equal ability (so far as I 

 could judge), and in the same yard. If I had 

 adopted the eight- frame hive two or three 

 years ago, or had I put dummies in my hives at 

 the time I contracted the ten colonies, my crop 

 would have been almost a failure. It would 

 have been just the kind of crop that hundreds 

 of our bee-keeping friends are reporting. I 

 truly believe that many who have reported a 

 failure or short crop could have had at least a 

 fair average crop, and many would have had a 

 good crop if they had used a larger hive and 

 had not robbed the brood-chamber during the 

 previous year. Nearly every one reports his 

 hives full for winter. Yes, and so are mine — 

 even the four that failed to give me a single 

 pound of surplus. It may be nice to theorize at 

 times; but, under extreme circumstances, prac- 

 tice may prove that dollars and cents get to be 

 a premium. 



Evausville, Ind., Nov. 26. 



EIGHT FRAME HIVE NOT EQUAL TO THE 

 LARGE ftUINBY. 



TWO STOKY EIGHT-FKAMEKS DON'T FILL THE 

 BILL. 



By W. A. Chrysler. 



I have read with great interest the discussion 

 of eight vs. ten frames; and from my own 

 practical experience I think the ten-frame idea 

 will gain the day. I, however, think as Ernest 

 does — that twelve frames would be the most 

 desirable size for the brood-nest; but that 

 makes the top of the hive too large. I have, 

 for the last five or six years, been trying to 

 think the eight-frame hive the best. I liave 

 for years been trying to make that two-story 

 system of management work for storing frames 

 of brood and gutting a great big colony fur the 

 honey-flow; but I find my large single siory 

 hives (about nine-frame Quinby capacity) 

 ahead. They seem lo store enough honey in 

 fruit-bloom to tide them over to clover when the 

 eight or sixteen frame hive has to be fed, or is 

 in a shape to absorb probably a fair crop among 

 all the brood, when we can not well or advis- 

 ably extract it. I find the queen does not lay 

 as well when an extra story is added for brood. 

 The heat goes upstairs, and so does the queen. 

 I can not keep her laying in both stories unless 

 in very warm weather, and then I want her to 

 let up some. I think the eight-frame hive is 

 better with eight frames than one with eight 

 frames added above, L. size. I think the Hed- 

 don hive would be more successlul. The Lang- 

 stroth eight-frame has become so much of a 



