584 



(iLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 15. 



bli' straw hive- no. not in the least. Their 

 honey-market and other cii'cnmstanees are dif- 

 ferent from tliose of Germany in more than one 

 respect: and, besides that. I am fnlly aware 

 that the hive used in America is tlie most suit- 

 able one for the wants of the Ainerican bee- 

 keepers. But as there is nothing perfect in 

 this world of ti'ouble, and progi'ess must take 

 place evei'y where, I am convinced that very de- 

 cided pi-ogi'ess will be put forward in that 

 line which has been pointed o-ut by you. fi'iend 

 Koot. and by Mr. Brown — hdndliiig hires marc, 

 instead of frames. How this is to be done in 

 the most suitable way. in your country, will, no 

 doubt, be shown by American bee-keepers with- 

 out any assistance fi'om other countries. James 

 Heddon has already taken a great step forward; 

 and other steps of importance, to further your 

 idea are, I think, the accession of the fixed Hoff- 

 man frames and the movable bottom-board. 



After these preliminary words, let me explain 

 in what way you, friend Root, and Mr. Brown 

 have advanced a most valuable idea in the bee- 

 keeping world by advocating the handling of 

 hives instead of frames. You will allow me to 

 describe this by referring to my hive, as I lay 

 great stress thei-eon. Amei'ican bee-keepers do 

 not think ill of my iiive : but I wish to convince 

 them that it is not the production of the writ- 

 ing-table, but the fruit of careful experience, 

 and such a one as has helped me to raise a crop 

 of honey not surpassed by any other bee-keeper 

 in Germany, unless by one of my disciples. 



The handling of the hive, and not touching 

 any of the frames, can be accomplished if the 

 colonies are in a normal condition, as a colony 

 will be if the bee-keeper did his duty at the 

 close of the previous season, and the wintering 

 was good. Of course, there will b(^ exceptions 

 to the rule ; but of such I shall speak by and by. 

 As for these colonies, the movable comb and 

 handling of frames is of the greatest benefit. I 

 handle hives : 1. After the first cleansing flight 

 in the spring. I do not have to remove any 

 warming materials, quilts, nor to open a door, 

 as is necessary with side-opening hives. I sim- 

 ply turn my hive over, in the way before men- 

 tioned. This gives a most complete view of the 

 interior of the hive, not limited by wide top- 

 bars and thick honey-combs, or one single comb, 

 as is the case with German hives. I see how 

 many spaces between the combs are fill(>d with 

 bees, and how strong the colony is. No one 

 will deny that an exact knowledge of this is of 

 great importance every time. If the bees come 

 up briskly from a compact cluster below, then I 

 take it for granted the colony is not queenles.';. 

 Should the bees not sit in a compact cluster, but 

 more scattered between and on the combs, then 

 the colony is most probably queenless. A few 

 puffs from the smoker will drive the bees do\\n. 

 I now let the bright daylight in. and see wheth- 

 er there is brood in the comb oi- not : and then 

 should I not see what I wish to. I push aside 

 two combs from those in the middle of the clus- 

 ter, and take them out of the hive to look after 

 the queen or eggs. In the sam(> way I lind out 

 how it is with the provisions, providing lifting 

 the hive and weighing it in my hands has not 

 told me what I wished to know. Finding all is 

 right, as a good normal colony always will be, 

 the whole task is done without handling'any 

 frames. In less than a minute the hive stands 

 again in its old position — no replacing of a quilt 

 or warming nuitei'ials, nor a window : no loss of 

 heat from the hrood-nest, no tearing up of the 

 nicely glued cover to cause a draft of air from 

 the entrance through the cluster of the bees to 

 the top of the hive. If not prevented by loss of 

 time, there is no disturbing the bees by handl- 

 ing frames. To let the bees alone till a time of 

 mild weather would not be judicious. The 



sooner I know the wants of a colony, the sooner 

 I can help. I do not need more than three 

 hours on the day following a cleansing flight, to 

 know the minute conditions of hundreds and 

 more of my colonies; besideshaving sweptwith 

 a brush the dead bees and the cappings of the 

 honey-cells from the floor board, saving more 

 than four pounds of wax from a hundred colo- 

 nies in this way. All colonies that need my 

 further attention (and these are always a con- 

 siderable part) get one, two. or three sticks on 

 the front side, according as the brood-chamber 

 is to be contracted, queenlessness is suspected, 

 or stores are supplied. In these colonies, as ex- 

 ceptions to the rule, I do not avoid handling the 

 frames ; on the contrary, in such cases it is a 

 benefit to help them by means of the movable 

 combs. 



I handle only the hives, to know whether a 

 colony is on the swarming-point.or fit to swarm 

 artificially. No one will deny that it is of great 

 importance to know this. I simply turn the 

 hive over, giving a few whift's of smoke ; and 

 now, as the true workingplace of the colony lies 

 open before me. I see whether queen-cells are 

 started, wiiether there are eggs in them or lar- 

 vte. or on the point of being cajjped ovei-, or 

 have reached maturity. 



All my hives have a space of fi'om two to 

 three inches beneath the small bottom- bars of 

 the frames, as such a space secures a good win- 

 tering, and shows me whi'ther a colony is ripe 

 for aitificial swai'ming. or whether I have to 

 extract honey. As soon as I see. by simply 

 turning over, that the bee.s begin to start combs 

 beneath the bottom-bars, I know for certain 

 that the colony is ripe for artificial swarming, 

 or that I have to take out some capped honey- 

 frames, and insert other full combs to be again 

 filled with honey. You see. friend R., the chief 

 point in most cases is to learn the true condi- 

 tion of the colonies, without handling frames, 

 covers, quilts, doors, etc. 



TO CONTROL COMB-BUILDING SWARMS. 



Whether I have given only starters or full 

 foundation, I must always strive to secure per- 

 fect combs. Without such combs, the mova- 

 ble-comb hive is nonsense, and more objection- 

 able than an old skep or box hive. All my 

 thousands of conibs in frames are perfect — not 

 crooked in any way. nor do tliey show any 

 drone-cells whei'e I did not allow them to be 

 built. Therefore I have no more drones in my 

 hives than I wish. A drone-ti'ap is for me a 

 useless thing, and not to be seen in my apiary. 



To avoid faulty combs, oiie must have the 

 easiest control of the comb-building swarms ; 

 and that is to be accomplished in the most com- 

 plete way by turning the hive over. Then one 

 has a view of the actual woi-khouse of the bees, 

 iferc is performed comb-building; and therein 

 to be seen the busy life of the colony ; here are 

 hanging the wax-secreting and comb-building 

 bees. A little smoke, and one sees the new 

 combs built on the starters, or the finishing of 

 the foundation. In most cases I remove the 

 beginnings of drone-combs, and also regulate 

 crooked combs by a so-called drone-knife — a 

 hooked knife with a long handle. Of course, in 

 some cases the drone-knife will not do all that 

 is to be done to secure perfect combs ; but then, 

 one may handle one or two frames to do the 

 rest. If I have before me a noi'mal colony, or 

 such a one as haswoi'ked according to 7ny wish- 

 es, I need not handle a single frame. An inver- 

 sion of the hive, a few putt's of smoke, a peep at 

 the combs, an inversion of the hive to its nor- 

 mal position, and the work is done in less than 

 a minute. 



Now. friend Root. I could point out to you far 

 more advantages in handling hives instead of 



