92 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Eeb. 



would not do to say that they always do this ; 

 and yet I have been wondering if they did 

 not make some kind of preparation or exam- 

 ination before they started out for a new 

 home. 



HIVES AND CASES 



REPLY TO J. W. POKTER, PAGE 52. 



M S Mr. Porter's objections to Heddon's hive and 

 J^^ case come to us so earnestly and honestly, 

 =* — ' aad as they are the first I have ever seen of 

 the kind, either in public or private, I feel inclined 

 to reply to what 1 believe to be some mistaken no- 

 tions of Mr. Porter. We should all make due allow- 

 ance for the kind of climate and flora each one has 

 to do with, and perhaps more particularly our in- 

 ability to judge correctly of any system when we 

 have been so long habituated to another, entirely 

 different. As you know I have been a specialist for 

 fifteen years, with from ICO to 500 colonies most of 

 that time, and have been much inclined to experi- 

 ment, more particularly with hives and fixtures, you 

 will believe me when I say that I have thoroughly 

 tested storing in sections in the brood-chamber, in 

 both one and two story hives— sometimes in connec- 

 tion with top storing, and sometimes alone in the 

 brood-chamber. I have used sections with glass and 

 without, with outer caps and without. I have work- 

 ed oa the plan of removing each section as soon as 

 finished, both in cases and wide-frame supers; also 

 on the plan of removing them only by cases. I say 

 I have tried these different methods thoroughly, be- 

 cause I have produced thousands of pounds of hon- 

 ey in nearly cvei-y way mentioned. 



I am well aware, that I am very hard to suit; and 

 when any one method or system succeeds in satisfy- 

 ing me two or three seasons, it is quite apt to satisfy 

 many others. 1 can not find among my records 

 where I have ever sent Mr. Porter a sample hive; 

 and though he may have seen one direct from my 

 factory, I conclude he has never used the system 

 much. Mr. Hutchinson, as you very well know, 

 does not jump at conclusions hastily. No one ever 

 scanned moi-e closely, or asked more questions, and 

 vital ones too, than did Mr. H. when looking into my 

 arrangement for producing comb honey. He has 

 adopted it, and, I think, considers it unexcelled. I 

 have reference to the hive, honey-board, cases, sec- 

 tions, and shipping-crates, the two latter which he 

 exhibited at the Detroit fair. 



Mr. Porter is quite right in saying that tiering up 

 is essential to my system, and I think he would have 

 been equally correct had he said that it is an advan- 

 tage to any successful system. When we "tier up" 

 three cases high, the bees work all through readily 

 and satisfactorily, and we have no trouble with soil- 

 ed combs by removing them by cases; but our only 

 objection to removing them by sections is the great- 

 er amount of labor involved. We can do this with- 

 out the use of separators, by pushing the sections 

 sidewise, placing the new section next to those least 

 finished; but this we do not wish, and need not prac- 

 tice. The narrow hive can hardly be called mine: 

 many of our most successful producers use it. 

 Adam Grimm used it while laying up more money 

 from the production of comb honey than has ever 

 been accomplished before or since by any other living 

 apiarist, if I am correct. 1 used the XO-frame stan- 

 dard Langstroth for five or six years, for the produc- 



tion of both comb and extracted honey; and since 

 using the 8-frame for several years I much prefer 

 it, both for safety in wintering, and getting the most 

 surplus honey for the labor and capital invested. 1 

 may also add, solidity of the hive, and ease of man- 

 ipulation. 



On another page Mr. Baldridge, who is an old skill- 

 ed producer, speaks of getting the brood high up in 

 the frames, as near the surplus receptacles as may 

 be, the great object being to get rid of sealed honey, 

 over which the bees must pass to get to the second 

 story. The Sframe hive assists in that matter. Tn 

 it there are fewer ranges of comb, which places an 

 adequate amount of stores for winter in a better po- 

 sition to accommodate the bees during the long cold 

 spells. Where a broader brood-chamber is reduced 

 by dummies, the equally broader case contains some 

 sections resting out over said dummies. In these 

 the bees do not work and finish off their work as 

 readily. This point we gave a thorough test. If our 

 capital were invested in ourqueens, hives having the 

 capacity of our maximum queens would be advisable ; 

 but as our capital is in our combs and wood, and not 

 in the queen, there is more profit in using hives of 

 the capacity of our mimimum queens; in which case, 

 said capital is always employed. This plan also re- 

 dounds to our interest regarding labor. 



In regard to thickness of our cases, there arc no. 

 objections to making them any thickness desired, ex- 

 cept expense and weight. Here in Michigan we have 

 never been troubled by radiation of heat through 

 the thin sides of our cases. We made two hundred 

 with '^s sides and ends, but observed no advantage, 

 and speedily returned to the thin case, and much 

 prefer it. All the time we were using those systems 

 of surplusage which used a cap over the receptacles, 

 thus leaving a space between said cap aild the re- 

 ceptacles, which the bees could not get at or venti- 

 late. We lost many pounds of honey during hot 

 weather, and our last caps were made with movable 

 tops that gave a thorough system of ventilation 

 when required. This, however, wasfgladly given up 

 for the more convenient, less expensive, and better 

 case system. We prefer a smaller brood-chamber, 

 as much for extracting as for comb honey. In all 

 cases, with all systems, we always use a rain and 

 shade board over each hive, said board being two by 

 three feet. By experimenting I have come to the 

 conclusion that any style of fixtures that require 

 constant manipulation, such as extracting from the 

 brood-chamber to give the queen room to lay, ne- 

 cessity of interchanging combs in order to get your 

 capital all utii:z?d, is not as good a system as my 

 own. The nearer automatic we can get a practical, 

 profitable, and satisfactory system, the better is that 

 system. James Heddon. 



Dowagiac, Mich., Jan. 32, 1881. 



Thanks, friend II., for the good points you 

 bring out in regard to «-frame hives, and 

 other matters pertaining to them. There is 

 one point, liowever. whirh you hint at but 

 don't mention directly, itistliis: Thatwith 

 an S frame hive well tilled with stores, the 

 bees are less apt to get over to one side in 

 winter, while their stores are over in the oth- 

 er side. ]3ut of course this advantage is se- 

 cured just as well, or better, by the use of 

 division-boards. I, too, have noticed that 

 bees do not store as well directly over the 

 dummies ; but with the chaff hive having an 

 upper story a trifle larger than the lower 



