Vol. XVI. 



MAY 15, 1888. 



No. 10. 



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■WHO INVENTED THE FKAME HIVE 



A VEXED QUESTION SETTLED. 



|N Gleanings tor April 15 you mention Che- 

 shire's book; and you quote from it, page 29.5. 

 " . . . . until Dr. Dzierzon, of Carlsmai-kt, 

 invented in 18:38, and made public in 1845, 

 frames to hang' within a bo.x or hive-body, 

 which was manipulated from its side . . . . " 

 This statement is incorrect. Dr. Dzierzon invented 

 the first practical hee-hive, but he never used a 

 frame, but comb-bars only. The bees build the 

 combs to this bar and to the walls of the hive. His 

 hiv^es were at first of different styles, because he ad- 

 justed the bars into his old hives; so he used, about 

 50 years ago, shallow boxes, forming the so-called 

 Christ's magazine hive, with these comb-bars. This 

 hive was quite similar to Heddon's hive, and ma- 

 nipulated from above. To take out any combs, it 

 was necessary to cut them loose from the hive 

 walls, rt is easily seen, that this is somewhat dif- 

 ficult, if the hive is manipulated from above. This 

 is the reason why Dr. Dzierzon has abandoned this 

 kind of hive, and adopted hives manipulated from 

 the side. 



It has been proven, many times, that the first 

 hanging-frame hive was invented in 1851 by Lang- 

 stroth. A very short time later. Baron Berlepsch, 

 of Germany, changed Dzierzon's bars to frames. 

 It is true, without doubt, that he invented his frame 

 qultiC independently of Langstroth. Berlepsch did 

 not change the manipulation from the sides, and 

 these hives are still in use in Germany. Dr. Dzier- 

 zon still recommends using the comb-bar; and be- 



cause nobody in Germany or elsewhere is on his 

 side in this respect, he conceded, finally, that 

 frames may be used with advantage in the surplus 

 chamber for extracting, but none in the brood- 

 chamber. 



Gravenhorst invented a frame hive (about 18t)5) in 

 which every single frame could he taken out at 

 pleasure after the hive is reversed; and many bee- 

 keepers use this hive with success. Some other 

 hives are recommended, which are manipulated 

 from the back side; but the side-opening hives arc 

 still in general use. 



Within the liist few years I have written articles 

 for different German bee-papers, in which I ex- 

 plained the advantages of our American hi\es and 

 management; this caused Dr. Dzierzon to advise 

 us not to use a hive with frames to be manipulated 

 from above, because by taking out the first frame the 

 bees would be rolled and killed ( !) ; and other Itee- 

 koepers had other objections. Nevertheless, our 

 hive system is gaining more friends in Germany. 

 Dr. Dzierzon is the founder of scientific bee-keep- 

 ing: and his hive, the first practical one with mova- 

 ble ciimhx, caused a new start in bee-keeping, and 

 nobody can honor this man more than I do; but to 

 call him an inventor of a frame hive is just amus- 

 ing, while he used every occasion to speak and 

 writp n(fainst frames. L. Stachelhausen. 



Sflma. Tex., Apr. 33. 1888. 



When we gave insertion to the above quo- 

 tation, we believed it to be correct, and did 

 not take time to investigate authorities. 

 Since receiving your conininnication we 

 have made quite a thorough investigation, 



