24 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 1 



son uses is of the same capicity as an einht- 

 frame L. hive containing 14 frames. This 

 makes a large body to handle by the 

 brood-chamber instead of by the frame, and 

 only a giant would be equal to the task It 

 strikes me that he will have to shake e^ch 

 one of his 14 frames singly, just the same 

 as one with a Ouinby frame. Why Mr. 

 Morrison should fancy the shaking of a 

 Quinby frame more difficult than that of 

 his shallow frame, I can not understand. 

 It is true I can lift one pound easier than 

 two; i. e., two pounds weigh more than one; 

 but I'd just as soon stoop down and pick up 

 the two pounds as the one if stoop I must; 

 and the bee-keeper of ordinary strength 

 will just as soon shake one frame as the oth- 

 er, and will get along as easily, and more 

 speedily with the tail frame as Mr. Morrison 

 does with his shallow frame. He will have 

 the advantage of having to shake but half 

 the number. 



It is one of the great advantages of the 

 large frame that all frame manipulations 

 are conducted with greater speed consider- 

 ing the amount of comb surface gone over. 

 I can find a queen much easier in a single- 

 story full-depth frame hive than in a shal- 

 low-frame hive of equal capacity, whether 

 in single story or double. 



Speaking of his large shallow-framed 

 hive, Mr. Morrison says, on page 672: 



The way to use such a hive is easy. During the win- 

 ter or off season one chamber is used; but when the 

 swarming season arrives, the second chamber with 

 drawn combs is added y"ro;« dc/oz£/. This is a damper 

 to the swarming fever. l,ater on, when the upper 

 half has become prettj' well filled with honey, it is re- 

 moved and then a super of sections is put on. Here 

 we have a shaken swarm without the shaking — at 

 least, the only shaking is in shaking the bees out of 

 the upper chamber. 



Handling bees in New York, I have ob- 

 served when adding an empty set of combs 

 below t\\e occupied brood-chamber the bees 

 are many times slow, very slow, taking 

 possession of it. I have seen such combs 

 neglected through the better part of the hon- 

 ey season. Even with my six- inch brood- 

 chambers I have experienced this trouble. 

 On the other hand, when such combs are 

 added on top they are usually promptly oc- 

 cupied. 



When Mr. Morrison reduces his two- story 

 hive down to one story he terms this ma- 

 nipulation " shaking swarms." Of course, 

 he does shake 14 frames; but the other 14 

 are left untouched, and so the operation 

 would hardly come under the head of shak- 

 ing swarms. The manipulation will prove 

 very effective later in the season when the 

 desire of swarming has entirelj' died out, 

 or with colonies that have just reared a 

 young queen, no matter how populous they 

 may be; but with normal colonies at the 

 swarming season the plan fails here. 



When Mr. Morrison really has to make a 

 shaken swarm he will have to shake 28 

 frames. Fancy shaking 28 frames sepa- 

 rately with a large number of colonies when 

 work is pressing and time exceedingly 

 scarce and valuable! I have done it, and 

 don't care for any more. With the regular 



Heddon hive one may shake the larger part 

 of the bees from a brood- charhber without 

 handling frames singly. It is just small 

 enough for the average man; but even with 

 this hive it is not a safe way of doing, for the 

 queen may be left in one or the other of the 

 sections. With Mr. M. 's large hive the op 

 c ration by hives is impracticable. 



Mr. Morrison wants a super to hold about 

 50 pounds. In this locality a super of sucli 

 capacity is too large, for the reason that 

 swarms can not be depended upon to fill it 

 in a single season. In a good honey loca- 

 tion such a super is perhaps all right. It 

 is quite evident that different localities re- 

 quire different hives to obtain best results. 

 For this reason alone the catalogs of the 

 supply-dealers will always contain more or 

 less different patterns of hives and supers. 



There is one thing in Mr. Morrison's ar 

 tide which I wish were true; but I am 

 afraid it is too good to be true. He says, 

 page 673: 



The whole theory of management is simply this— 

 to work up the colony to a high pitch in two chambers 

 then when the honey comes on in full blast, remove 

 one chamber and put the section super in place. Thii 

 slops sivaitnitig very effectually; and, as a consequence 

 very plump well-fifled sections. 



The btte noh e oi & comb honey apiarist is the habii 

 the bees have of storing honey in the brood-chamber 

 The shallow hive holds this in check. Where only tw< 

 chambers are used, there will be a fair amount of 

 swarming; but where three are used, the apiarisi 

 holds the whip hand. 



With a deep frame and wider spacing, 

 the management described does not achieve 

 such results in New York; and if Mr. M. '.s 

 shallow-frame hive with 1 '4 -inch spacinj.; 

 accomplishes what he says it will, the great 

 question of Iww to manage out-apiaries, or 

 any apiaries intended to be run for honey. 

 is solved. Indeed, I would not hesitate lon^ 

 to break up every last hive of mine into 

 kindling, and order Morrison hives to re- 

 place them, if I were assured of such re- 

 markable results. 1 believe Dr. Miller and 

 hundreds of other bee-keepers would join in 

 with me. Dr. Miller would not have to 

 look any longer for a non- swarming bee. 

 because the bee would not swarm. 



If there are half a dozen bee-keepers lo- 

 cated in as manj- different States, willing 

 to test the Morrison hive and his method, I 

 will be one. Perhaps the Root Co. would 

 be willing to get up the hive according to 

 Mr. Morrison's instructions. Of course, 

 we want them right. 



It would not be desirable to take a section 

 of larger proportions than we have now in- 

 to use; and in order not to adopt an odd 

 sized section, I would suggest using the 

 regular 3;sX5 section in double tier. My 

 preference would also be a wide frame su- 

 per. Such a one would make it easy to put 

 into practical use Mr. Morrison's idea of 

 having but one size of hive-bodies. In fact, 

 I have made use of this principle for years 

 in my own hilf-storj- hives, which I am 

 ready to abandon. 



Naples, N. Y. 



[In making comparisons of the sectional 

 brood-chambers or shallow hives a gooti 



