678 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



September, 1917 



abundant room being- given if swarming is 

 (o be absolutely controlled, even when using 

 this plan. 



Perhaps it may surprise some .when I say 

 that the ten-frame L. size is our hardest 

 problem to solve in the matter of swarm 

 control; and the reason is that it is not 

 large enough to run on the let-alone plan, 

 and too lai*ge to run on tb? plan outlined 

 for the eight-frame size. With me it is a 

 problem to get all the dark fall or spring 

 honey out of the largei'-sized hives before 

 the clover flow. Unless all dark honey is 

 out of the combs, the Demaree plan can not 

 be practiced or the clover honey will be 

 spoiled. With the eight-frame L. size of 

 hive it is comparatively easy to get about 

 all this honey used up before the clover 

 floAv, and these brood-combs are then used 

 for extracting purposes as fast as they are 

 emptied of brood and filled with honey, 

 with no apparent injury to the white honey 

 crop. 



The hive which I use extensively, more 

 than any other, is the ten-frame size com- 

 monly called the Jumbo. The management 

 is much the same as outlined for the very 

 large hives, and with pure Italian be?s Ave 

 have little trouble with swarming in most 

 seasons. 



Answering the question, then, as to what 

 hive I would use if starting all over, I can 

 say that my preference is for the ten or 

 twelve frame Jumbo size. If forced to us.3 

 the L. frame, then I suppose I would choose 

 the eight-frame size in jd lie fere nee to the 

 ten-frame L., as the latter is not big 

 enough, or too big, to suit me in running 

 out-apiaries. 



I winter outdoors altogether, about half 

 the bees being in single hives permanently 

 packed and the rest in two-hive eases. Pei'- 

 sonally I do not like the quadruple cases, as 

 they are too bulky and we get just as good 

 results with the smaller cases. 



The lower picture, page 077, sliows two 

 })acked hives in our home yard. This style 

 of hive suits me as well as any I have ever 

 used, and I want nothing better. This hive 

 is made by a local manufacturer; and a 

 strong point is the corner, which is made of 

 two-inch stuff with a one-inch square sawed 

 out of one corner. This inch-square piece 

 is used inside to nail to, while Hie right- 

 angled strip left is nailed on the corners as 

 the picture shows. This keeps out the water 

 at the corners where sheeting is nailed, and 

 also prevents nails fi'om drawing out by 

 reason of warping or other causes. The 

 bottom is fast. I do not want loose bottoms 

 on packed hives. The entrance is ten inches 

 by one inch deep for summer; and with the 



block in place for winter (as shown standing 

 in front of the hive) a space is left 8 

 inches by % deep. (I have never been an 

 advocate of extremely large entrances as 

 used by some, as I believe that too large 

 entrances are often given, especially in lo- 

 calities where the nights are very cool.) One 

 full-depth super will go on inside of the ex- 

 tension top, which is not packed. The hives 

 are made of cedar, which combines strength 

 with light weight, and lasts for a lifetime. 



The second picture shows part of one 

 large apiary, the four rows containing 160 

 colonies having just been placed in position 

 after a long move by train. To the right 

 can be seen some of the bees that were there 

 before these 160 were transported. Some 

 of tliem have supers on. There are more 

 than 100 colonies not shown in the picture. 

 This yard is wintered in the two-colony 

 cases. 



While I naturally wish that all my bees 

 wei'e in uniform hiv&s, yet the fact remains 

 that they are not, and I have to make the 

 best of it. With a full equipment at all 

 yards, such as lots of supers, etc., one or 

 more extractors at every place, and no 

 moving of supplies from one place to an- 

 othei', I pi'obably have less trouble than 

 most would Ijelieve. Then I have never felt 

 that I could aff^ord to change all these hives, 

 for, of course, I could not sell them for 

 what they are worth to us. 



I might as well 'confess that, after all this 

 working with mixed equipment, if a yard of 

 bees Avere offered me today the first ques- 

 tion Avould not be, "What style and size of 

 hiA'e are they in?" So it looks as if I Avere 

 past redemi)tion. If combs Avere all good 

 and straigiit, built from full sheets of foun- 

 dation, the chances are that a deal Avould be 

 made, if piice Avas right, eA'en if the bees 

 Avere in a style of hive different from any 

 I noAv ha\'e. While it is only natural for a 

 beekeeper to have a hive ])reference, yet one 

 should not be too sure that tlie style of hiA'e 

 will do so much better than the other fel- 

 loAv's, for after all it is a question of man- 

 agement adapted to each style of hive, as I 

 have abundantly proved to my oavu satis- 

 faction during the last ten years. 



[For our readers' information, and that 

 these readers may correctly Aveigh tlie testi- 

 mony of Mr. Byer as given in this article, 

 Ave Avish to say that Mr. Byer has proved 

 himself one of the most efficient beekeepers 

 in Ontario. He gets results in honey and 

 dollars, and the very fact that he has suc- 

 ceeded in sj)ite of a serious handicap in the 

 beginning and Avithout outside capital to 

 boost the business along, makes his ojiinions 

 all tlie more valuable. — Editor.] 



