76 



GLEAXIXCS IX EEE CUL'lURE. 



Jan. 15 



them therefrom. No mice can enter the 

 hive while closed for the winter. Winter 

 feeding may be accomplished directly be- 

 neath the cluster, and the interior of every 

 stand is accessible by means of the remov- 

 able front board. All the colonies of an 

 apiary may be removed from the cellar and 

 placed in their permanent outdoor positions 

 before liberating any of them; then by ad- 

 justing bottom-boards at dusk all will begin 

 flying the following day, or as soon as con- 

 ditions are favorable, and there will be no 

 confusion resulting from the change; swarm- 

 ing out, and the bees of some colonies join- 

 ing other colonies, weakening the former 

 and making the latter stronger than is nec- 

 essary, will be greatly reduced. 



Second, by the use of this combined hive- 

 stand and bottom-board, in connection with 

 any desired hive-body, a hive is provided in 

 which the safe and easy transportation of 

 bees may be accomplished, adding greatly to 

 the prospects of success in migratory bee- 

 keeping and the management of out-apia- 

 ries. This point is obvious. The bottom- 

 board and hive-stand is fastened to the hive- 

 body permanently, and all that is necessary 

 in preparing for the removal of the bees, in 

 addition to fastening on the covers, is to 

 lower the bottom-board and place the front 

 board (alighting-board) in position to close 

 the hive at evening when the bees have quit 

 flying. The closing or opening of the hives 

 to confine the bees or admit them to flight, 

 as the case may be, is quickly and effectual- 

 ly done, and the maximum of safety in the 

 shipping of bees by freight, express, or oth- 

 wise is obtained. Shipping and handling of 

 the bees is accomplished with the greatest 

 safety from stings, and the abundant ven- 

 tilation and room in the inclosed hive effec- 

 tually prevent overheating or suffocating 

 the bees or the melting of the combs. A 

 device which insures comparative safety 

 from stings to horses, operatives, and em- 

 ployees of transportation companies is wor- 

 thy of much consideration, as the dread of 

 stings is perhaps the chief obstacle in the 

 way of obtaining competent unskilled help in 

 the apiary. 



Third, the construction of this combined 

 stand and bottom-board is such that the en- 

 trance to the hive will not clog with dead 

 bees when wintering on the summer stand; 

 rain, snow, and sleet will not beat in, and 

 dead bees are easily removed from the hive 

 by the colony without the live bees going 

 outside of shelter. Also the apiarist may 

 quickly and easily remove and scrape the 

 bottom-board clean, and return it with 

 scarcely any disturbance to the colony, and 

 without removing the lid. 



Fourth, by its use the entrance to the hive 

 may be adjusted easily and quickly to suit 

 the needs of the colony. The bottom-board 

 may be drawn forward till only a bee-space 

 remains at the entrance. A notch may be 

 cut in one corner of the bottom-board, and 

 the same drawn forward until the entrance 

 is all closed except the notch, thus adjusting 

 it to the flight of such small number of bees 



as is desired. The bottom- board may be 

 lowered one-fourth, one-half, or full depth 

 of front opening of the stand when it is de- 

 sired to give abundance of ventilation and 

 flight room during periods of heavy honey- 

 flow, and to retard or prevent swarming as 

 much as possible. The large entrance is al- 

 so useful in the hiving of swarms; and the 

 ease with which the colony may be safely 

 confined in the hive greatly facilitates the 

 placing of the new swarm on its permanent 

 location. The adjustments of the bottom- 

 board are ample to suit every need of the 

 colony as to its size and to meet the require- 

 ments of varying temperatures. 



Fifth, a bottom-board and stand is provid- 

 ed for the hive, which makes it an easy 

 matter to bring the bees under the absolute 

 control of the apiarist, should they engage 

 in wholesale robbing. When this occurs, as 

 it is likely to in the experience of every 

 apiarist, how easily and effectually it may 

 be overcome by closing every hive affected! 



The ample ventilation will prevent any ill 

 effects from the confinement of the colony. 



Sixth, this hive-stand and bottom-board 

 provides a ready and expeditious means of 

 preventing the melting of the combs of the 

 hive and the consequent ruin of the colony 

 during periods of intense heat in hot climates. 

 This is accomplished by lowering the bottom- 

 board to the position required for cellar win- 

 tering or for shipping, or by removing it en- 

 tirely, allowing the air to circulate freely 

 under the combs and through the sides and 

 front of the stand, thus giving the greatest 

 possible relief. 



It has been the aim of the writer to pro- 

 vide a hive-stand and bottom-board simple 

 in construction, easy of manipulation, and 

 universal in all the adjustments that would 

 be useful or profitable to the apiarist. As 

 to the construction, it may be said that the 

 parts should be accurately cut; but that any 

 one with sufficient ingenuity to assemble the 

 parts of supers or hives could as easily as- 

 semble and put together these combined 

 hive-stands and bottom-boards. The manip- 

 ulations are as simple as could be imagined 

 in any of the other parts of a hive. In fact, 

 any of the changes may be made quicker 

 and easier than a super could be removed 

 from a hive. The adjustment from that for 

 outdoor use to that for cellar wintering may 

 be made at the rate of 100 colonies in less 

 than half an hour, and without smoke, as the 

 bees are numb at this time of year. It will, 

 undoubtedly, be admitted by all scientific 

 apiarists that a hive-stand and bottom-board 

 which may be expeditiously changed from 

 its adjustment for ordinary outdoor use to 

 that for the most successful wintering in 

 cellar or special repository; a stand and bot- 

 tom-board by which the entrance to the hive 

 may be quickly enlarged or contracted to any 

 required size; which is always in readiness 

 to control robbing or to give relief from ex- 

 cessive heat; which may be used to control 

 swarming, so far as the giving of plenty of 

 ventilation will control it; into which the rain 

 and sleet will not beat, and into which the 



