892 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 



are of ten hurt between the uprights and case— a 

 thing- impossible with the Heddon arrangement, 

 while at the same time the uprights of his case— as 

 they go down into the hive, when a frame is put 

 back— only push the bees away instead of pinching 

 them between their closing surfaces. When the 

 Langstroth frames are put back, even by experts, 

 it often happens that they must re-adjust the spac- 

 ing, to get room for the last frame; whereas the 

 Heddon frames always go to their proper places. 

 As a matter of fact, then, the Heddon frames can 

 be safely handled with more rapidity than any in 

 7»revious use; thus securing all the advantages of 

 ( lose-fltting uprights without their old inconveni- 

 ences. 



3. I was actually charmed to see how quickly the 

 queen can be found in this hive. There is really no 

 place where she can hide behind either the uprights 

 of the frames, or on any of the f rame ])ieces, or on 

 the combs, which, by a single inversion of their 

 containing case, have all been made to completely 

 till the frames. Alarmed, now, by the introduction 

 of both light and smoke into such a shallow case, 

 she usually glides at once to the bottom-board, to 

 hide herself between it and the bottom of the 

 frames. If she does not show up when the ease is 

 lifted oflf, she can, as I have seen, be readily shaken 

 out from such shallow and uniformly straight 

 combs, so as to be easily secured. 



To catch a queen with so little trouble, and 

 with no danger of robbing, seems almost too good a 

 thing to be believed, until it is actually witnessed; 

 and the mere thought that such a feat is possible, 

 must recall to many of my readers their weary 

 (lueen-hunts, in the old styles of hives, under the 

 broiling sun, and with the hateful annoyance of 

 robber-bees. 



;j. Another important feature in this hive is the 

 I'emarkable rapidity with which the exact condi- 

 tion of affairs in the brood-chamber can be ascer- 

 tained. In less time than is needed to remove and 

 replace a single frame in other hives, a Heddon 

 brood-section can be lifted off; and from its being 

 shallow enough to allow a good view of the combs 

 from both above and below, even without shaking 

 out the bees, the quantity of brood and honey, and 

 every thing else essential to be known, having 

 been learned by a few glances of an expert's eye, 

 the section may be replaced before any robbing 

 can be done. 



4. The shape, size, and lightness of the parts com- 

 posing this hive greatly facilitate all necessary 

 manipulations in the apiary, and must therefore 

 make it peculiarly acceptable to all who for any 

 reason wish to economize their physical strength. 

 A weak person who can not handle many hives 

 needs it, and the strong man also needs it, that he 

 may make all his strength tell, in the management 

 of the largest possible number of colonies. 



5. The simple way of holding the frames so firmly 

 in place b3- thumb-screws admirably fits this hive 

 for safe transport. I use the word tranapcnt in its 

 widest sense, so as to include every movement of 

 any of the parts of the hive, from the simple lifting- 

 off of a section, to the carrying of a hive with bees 

 for any purpose, to any distance, however short or 

 long. I have seen a frame filled with comb, tossed 

 about the room, and thrown ovit of a second-story 

 window— also a whole section of such frames slid, 

 and even kicked about a room, and all without any 

 injury to the combs. 



ti. I am strongly impressed with the great advan- 

 tages which seem to me must certainly be gained by 

 one of the leading features of Mr. Heddon's inven- 

 tion and system of management; viz., the divisible 

 biood-chamhcr ; but as this is a point on which the 

 season (April 17) gives me no opportunity to speak 

 from actual observation, I relegate it to the many 

 able bee-keepers who can speak from their own ex- 

 perience, remarking only, that, when capacious 

 brood-chambers and surplus apartments are desir- 

 ed for any purpose, they can all be readily obtained 

 in the best form by the Heddon hive and system. 



7. Perhaps there was no feature in the Heddon 

 hive which surprised me quite as much as the fa- 

 cility it affords for the use of the extractor. In- 

 deed, when I first gave it my attention I was so ig- 

 norant of its scope as to suppose it was a conceded 

 point that it could he used profitably only for the 

 production of comb honey I This is one of the 

 points where I can not speak from my own actual 

 observation ; but those in Dowagiac, who have had 

 the largest experience, affirm confidently, that, in 

 a given time, they can actually extract more honey 

 by the Heddon system than they could with their 

 Langstroth hives, and give these reasons for their 

 belief: 



Nearly all the bees can be easily shaken out of 

 the combs of the extracting sections, and these 

 quickly carried to a safe place, where the few bees 

 not shaken out will soon leave them. The eight 

 frames of a section may then l)e turned out in a 

 standing position upon a table by a single motion 

 —their regular shallow combs uncapped with un- 

 usual rapidity, and all their contents extracted at 

 the same time; and nearly all of this work can be 

 done binder cover. Need any thing more be said on 

 this subject, to those who have followed the te- 

 dious routine of shaking and brushing off the bees 

 from each separate comb in the sun, and exposed 

 to robber bees ? 



8. It need hardly be said to any good bee-keeper 

 who has carefully weighed the above points in fa- 

 vor of the Heddon hive and system of manage- 

 ment, how greatly it reduces in an apiary the lia- 

 bility of robbing. Those who have the Heddon 

 hives will have no use for any bee-tent, when they 

 can so easily find the queen, or can shake out the 

 bees from any section when necessary, to examine 

 it at leisure under cover. 



In reading this enumeration of benefits to be had 

 from Mr. Heddon's invention, it might seem that, 

 if I have not exaggerated them, any one of a num- 

 ber of them must be worth, to a person who handles 

 many colonies, at least the price of an individual 

 right to use his patent. 



I can only say, that I have sought to avoid all 

 over-statements, and have, in addition to what I 

 could see with my own eyes, questioned at much ' 

 length some who have largely handled the Heddon 

 hives, and have been from the beginning familiar 

 with every step in the progress of his invention. I 

 would, therefore, not be afraid to risk my reputa- 

 tion for sound judgment as to the great value of 

 the forward step which he has taken, even if I did 

 not know that my opinion accords so well with the 

 experience of many who have had the opportunity 

 to put the hive and system to the test of practical use. 



It is proper that I should say, before closing this 

 article, that I have carefully examined the claims 

 of the Heddon patent, and the reasons which have 

 been thought by some to invalidate them. Neither 



