1905 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



365 



closed-end frames out of doors. I am speak- 

 ing of frames about 17 in. long and lOf deep. 



In severe cold winters, with the open-end 

 frame the moisture will collect on the out- 

 side of the frames, and on the inside wall of 

 the hive, leaving the combs well ventilated, 

 and all will keep in a more healthful condi- 

 tion. It is more essential that the hive be 

 so made as to pack well at the end of the 

 frames than the side of the hives. If the 

 ends of the open-end frames ai*e well packed 

 in cold weather the bees are very liable to 

 cluster against the warmer end of the hive, 

 and near the top ; as the weather gets 

 warmer they will spread out over the combs, 

 and draw back and cluster at the end as the 

 day cools off. Such hives are better for 

 wintering outdoors if the entrance is made 

 at the side of the hive, and pack the other 

 side, leaving the entrance side of the hive 

 without any packing, or not very much if 

 any. I speak from what I have seen of side 

 entrances. I like to have the bee-entrance 

 at the end of the hive, for hives that are to 

 be wintered in cellars. The most important 

 is, the hives can slant forward both summer 

 and wintei'. Side entrances are better for 

 wintering outdoors only with end-packed 

 hives. Such hives should have a tray made 

 as large as the top of the hive, with a bur- 

 lap nailed on the bottom. Fill the tray with 

 chaff— three inches deep is enough— better 

 than more. It lets the moisture go up 

 through. I would rather have but two 

 inches of chaff than over three. Then over 

 this I place a cap or hood to cover all, which 

 gives at least three inches of air space above 

 the chaff tray. 



Bore two IJ-inch holes in this hood-cover. 

 Bore one in the diagonal corner from the 

 other, and cover with wire cloth nailed on 

 the inside. Cover the hood with tin to make 

 it sure not to leak, and you will have a good 

 hive to winter bees in. 



The hives that I have in mind have open- 

 end frames about 15 inches long and 10 

 inches deep, inside measure. These hives 

 want a bee-space over the frames in cold 

 weather. When the freezing weather is 

 over with, put an oilcloth between the brood- 

 frames and the chaff tray to retain the heat 

 for the benefit of the brood. The moisture 

 will not trouble in warm weather if your 

 hive is made right to keep out the rain. 



Now, about the Danzenbaker hive with 

 closed-end frames. 



I have had but very little experience with 

 them. I do find a few of them that are 

 being used by apiarists where the most of 

 their hives are of some other pattern. I 

 find that the colonies are as strong in these 

 hives as in the other; in fact, I believe they 

 winter fully as well if not better. In cellars 

 are the places where the most of them are 

 wintered that I have noticed. I presume 

 that, with plenty of upward ventilation, 

 they will winter well outdoors in a suitable 

 chaff-packed hive. I find them from place 

 to place where I am inspecting apiaries. 

 The apiarists speak well of them as a comb- 

 honey hive. I believe they are good for 



that. However, I find the frames ai-e not 

 the most convenient for me to get out to 

 inspect the brood, etc. I haven't learned 

 how to handle them. I find people are devis- 

 ing various ways for spacing these frames, 

 etc. I'll try a few in my own apiary and see. 



For me the standing Hetherington closed- 

 end frame is the easiest one to handle when 

 running an apiary for comb honey, especially 

 so for an out-apiary, where the queens have 

 to be found at any time of the day and all 

 kinds of weather. At just such time as I 

 may happen to be there I can find queens in 

 such hives when I wouldn't think of opening 

 a hanging-frame hive. 



To apiarists I would say, use some good 

 frame hive, and then learn well how to use 

 it to get the best results. 



I am very often asked the question, 

 "What kind of hive would you recommend 

 me to use?" To beginners I feel safe in 

 saying the Langstroth, because they are 

 a very good hive, and you can buy supplies 

 and all the outfits for an apiary at any bee- 

 supply house. Should you become wise, and 

 want to invent something that will suit you 

 better, you will know better how to do it 

 after you have a little experience. For in- 

 stance, this last summer I called at a place 

 where the apiarist had cut all of his eight- 

 frame Langstroth hives (about 300) down so 

 they would take frames only six inches deep. 

 The next day I took a train and rode about 

 25 miles, and there I visited an apiary where 

 the apiarist had been very busy in sawing 

 down through the ends of his eight- frame 

 Langstroth hives, and putting in a strip of 

 board so as to make his hives wide enough 

 to hold 12 Langstroth frames. Both of 

 these apiarists have been in the business for 

 many years, and both were sure they had 

 made a big improvement. However, the 

 former was changing to produce comb 

 honey, and the latter was changing to pro- 

 duce extracted honey. 



Middleburg, N. Y. 



[One of the strongest arguments that have 

 been made in favor of any closed-end frame 

 has been that it winters bees better than the 

 open- end sort; but here comes one of the 

 most extensive bee-keepers in York State, a 

 user of closed-ends— a man who has visited 

 many large apiaries in his official capacity as 

 foul- brood inspector, giving it as his opinion 

 that the open end makes drier brood-combs, 

 and hence better wintering. I have long 

 known Mr. West as a careful bee-keeper, 

 and his opinion on the point is worthy of 

 careful consideration. 



It is certainly true that the Hetherington 

 closed-end frame, or what some call the 

 Hetherington-Quinby, offers special facili- 

 ties for finding queens quickly. Nearly fif- 

 teen years ago Mr. P. H. Elwood showed me 

 how he could find queens on these frames 

 with the greatest of ease. The outer case 

 is lifted off, leaving the frames standing on 

 the bottom-board. A thin-bladed knife sep- 

 arates the brood-nest perpendicularly at any 

 desired point. The separation allows the 



