GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Students are reciuired to do lalioratory work. 



COLONIES IN EIGHT-FRAME HIVES 



How to Operate Them so as to Get a Maximum of Results in Brood and Hone y 

 the old Double-decker Scheme of Years ago 



BY C. P. HENRY 



While most beemen advocate for this 

 locality (southeastern Oklahoma) the eight- 

 frame hive, it seems to me from practical 

 experience that it is too small. It does not 

 give sufficient room (after storing winter 

 supplies) for an active queen to keep up a 

 colony sufficiently strong through late fall 

 and early spring. The result is a weak 

 colony in the spring when the flow comes 

 on. 



Our main flow comes in June and July, 

 and usually lasts from three to six weeks. 

 It seems to me that a larger brood-nest 

 would give the queen a chance to have a 

 rousing colony to gather the nectar when it 

 is to be gathered, instead of having first to 

 rear the brood. The consequence is, Avhen 

 our colonies get strong the flow is about 

 over. 



As I have all eight-frames I am thinking 

 of putting another regular body over them 

 and taking three or four frames of brood 

 from the bottom and place in the top cham- 

 ber to force the bees to occupy this early 



also. I believe any good queen is capable 

 of filling ten or twelve frames with brood 

 in an average season. Moreover, we have 

 considerable warm weather through the 

 winter months; and if the colony has plen- 

 ty of stores I believe they will raise brood 

 through a considerable part of the winter 

 months. My bees are flying today, Nov. 

 25, nicely. 



I should like to have your opinion along 

 these lines as to whether you sanction my 

 idea of dividing the combs as stated. 



Hugo, Okla. 



[The plan you refer to Avill work very 

 nicely in your climate; and a modification 

 of it can be used much further north. Some 

 eighteen years ago we worked one yard of 

 eight-frame hives on the double-story prin- 

 ciple. As soon as the queen and bees com- 

 fortably filled the lower story, we put on 

 an upper story, and in it we placed two or 

 •three frames of brood and bees from the 

 lower hive, and filled the space below with 



