1891 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



317 



second ivqiiireraenl: and to meet tliis the mov- 

 able-frame hive was invented. 



WHY yUINBY IXVENTED THE CLOSED-END 

 FKAME. 



Mr. Quinby observed, soon after the introduc- 

 tion of the Langstroth hive, that bees did not 

 winter as well in them as in box hives, on ac- 

 count of the open frame: and he remedied It by 

 making his frames closed end. Dzlerzon also 

 dlscov<'red that the opi-n frame Infringed upon 

 the welfai'c of the bees, and says: -'These pas- 

 sages are unnatural, and they carry off the nec- 

 essary heat and moisture from the brood-nest 

 and winter ((iiarters of the bees, so that colonies 

 generally winter badly." Abbott, late editor of 

 the BrUisJi Bee Jouriidl. says: " There is noth- 

 ing more unnatural in hive arrangement than 

 the absurd practic(! of making or leaving 

 spaces round the fi'ame ends." Bees usually 

 close up the space between the combs and 

 frame ends or side walls of hives, as far down 

 as honey extends, and undoubtedly our frames 

 should be closed as fai- down as i-he instinct of 

 the bees teaches them to close this space, which 

 is often to the very bottom of the frame. This 

 close space saves much heat, and enables weak 

 colonies to build up in the spi'ing that in an 

 open-end frame would have no chance what- 

 ever. 



Our division-boards, or panels, as we 

 call th(Mn. are close titling at toi). bot- 

 tom, and ends. Tiu'v are always at 

 hand, thus making it very convenient 

 to contract the brood-ni^st to suit the 

 requirements of the smallest colony, 

 or to enlarge it to suit thi- largest col- 

 ony. With a quilt over the top of the 

 frames, every space between the combs 

 is made so close that it is easily kept 

 warm, and really gives our hive nearly 

 all the advantagi'S of the box hive, 

 with the additional one of combs re- ..«_v_ 

 movable at pleasure. 



.MOVING BEES ON CLOSED-END FRAMES. 



Our hive is portable. No cumber- 

 some rack is need<'d in moving bees, 

 for two hives sit side by side in the bot- 

 tom of the wagon, and one hive pih\s 

 on top of another, without need of 

 sticks between. In pre|)aring a colony 

 for moving, we shove out the entrance 

 slide in llie bottom uf the hive, and 

 put in its place a wire-cloth slide to 

 give the necessary ventilation. Then 

 two screws are put in — one through 

 each side of the bottom-board into the 

 edge of the hive. An average man will con- 

 sume about a hundred minutes from the time 

 he reaches a yard until he drives out with a 

 load of thirty- three swarms. The two screws 

 mentioned fasten the bottom on so securely 

 that we have had no accid(!nts on the road 

 serious enough to warrant luihitching the 

 team from the wagon. Our bees are usually 

 drawn over rough, stony, and hilly roads, but 

 we have no queens or bees killed from frames 

 flopping together, nor do we have any combs 

 broken. It is a long time since I saw a comb 

 that had been broken on the road.* When 

 our bees were housed in Nt)vember, two men in 

 the cellar and three outside with a team put 

 them in at the rate of two colonies per minute. 



#'^ 



Witli the s^^■inging frame they could hardly 

 have handled them so rapidly, saying nothing 

 about their safety. 



Not only is our hive movable, but our frames 

 are also movable. In walking up to a hive, one 

 motion lifts the hive proper from its bottom- 

 board, and places it at the side of the exposed 

 frames, where it forms a seat of convenient 

 height. The ii'on roof is nailed to the hive, 

 and. of coursn. always goes with it. Only in 

 the hottest weathei' is there a shade-board to 

 be removed. Another motion with one hand 

 removes the quilt covc^i-ing the frames, and the 

 other hand blows a puff or two of smoke from 

 Jumbo, while the first removes the cord holding 

 the frames more lightly together. You are 

 then ready for business. If you are looking for 

 the quantity of brood in the hive, you can re- 

 move the frames in pairs; for they are easily 

 and rapidiv handled in this way, and one side 

 of a comb is usually a duplicate of the other 

 side. The bottom-i)oard is large enough so 

 that the frames removed can be hooked on the 

 bottom near you, and far enough away from 

 the others to have ample room to get a good 

 look at the next comb (see Fig. 1).* This is a 

 valuable feature of the hive, as you can have 

 always a good place for cotnbs without setting 

 them' upon the ground where you are in danger 



*Mi-. Root lius told you something' about oui' roads, 

 wliicli were at their best wlieii he wjis liei'e. Per- 

 liaps tliej- \vere iu)t very smooth tlien, as, on ooming 

 down one steep hill. I caught liini holding' fast to the 

 seat with both hands. This was not \vhen our bees 

 were objecting- to having' theii' pietiues taken, for 

 his hands were busy tlien, and I remember that f 

 was <in foot. 



FKi. 1. QUINBY CLOSED-END FKA.MES MANIPULATED. 



of losing queens and damaging brood, besides 

 other annoyances. The hive-bottom as we use 

 it for comb honey is 18 inches across, while the 

 maximum number of frames used for this pur- 

 pose would occupy onlv ni4 inches. In remov- 

 ing frames, a small knifet will readily loosen 

 one end. when they can be unhooked from the 

 bottom. Quite often a knife is not necessary, 

 but it is advisable to carry one. 



On looking over combs it is best to set them 

 together on the bottom, see Fig. 1. so that bees 

 can neither get in nor out between the ends of 

 the frames. This is best for various reasons. 



*Mr. Elwood several times showed me the queen 

 l)y simply dividing' the hive in perpendicuhir lialves. 

 as shown in the engraving. Often this was all that 

 was necessiirv. and the hive was closed up. Many 

 times he han"dled and e.xamined into hives without 

 lemoving a single frame. This is why he often can 

 find a queen quicker than he could in a loose- 

 frame hive in a box.— E. R. R. 



■f'A good penknife will open any hive, and for 

 nearly fifteen years I cariied and used exckisively 

 the same light jack-knife, breaking- it only in taking- 

 off elamps of honey. 



