26 



This apiary contained two dozen colonies in hives all constructed along: 

 similar lines. It had been in existence for many years, and until 1911 had 

 not so far as is known ever produced a pound of honey. It seemed as if 

 the beekeeper had planned to introduce into the hives every mechanical 

 obstruction to free movement of the bees that he could devise. 



When an inspector has opened up several hundred hives of this type, 

 the moment he removes the cover and begins to pull off the quilt he has a 

 pretty definite idea as to the conditions below. Come with him for a visit 

 to a small bee-yard. The owner is explaining that he never gets any 

 honey, only lots of swarms, and that he is convinced this is a poor bee 

 country. He takes care that the section super goes on early but the bees 

 refuse to go up into it, they swarm instead. The inspector pries off the 

 cover, rolls back the quilt, and sure enough not a bee is to be found in the 

 section super. Then the super is removed and the secret of the failure is 

 found. There is no bee space between the two parts of the hive and as a 

 consequence the sections are resting on the top of the frames, and since 

 they differ in width there is no possibility of a passageway. This con- 

 dition was found not once but dozens of times. 



Take another variation of the same trouble. A very intelligent, well 

 read and experienced beekeeper in a rather poor bee region keeps two hives 

 as a little hobby. There is sufficient clover round for that number of 

 colonies and no more, but every year he gets enough honey for family use. 

 But the inspector found him in blank despair. The bees are rushing on 

 the clover, but not one is to be seen in the super, and the beekeeper is at 

 his wit's ends to find a cause. The inspector looked at the outside of the 

 hive, saw a queen excluder between the brood-chamber and super, and 

 had his suspicions as he had been up against this kind of thing before. 

 On removing the cover not a bee was in sight, but he noted that the bee- 

 space of this particular super was above, and quickly reasoned in this 

 fashion: There is no bee-space below, and in all likelihood the zinc of 

 the queen-excluder is in contact with the section frames. He mentioned 

 his guess to the beekeeper wbo protested that he had used that excluder for 

 ten years. But the inspector sprang off the excluder and super as one and 

 then the cause of the trouble was apparent. The device was a homemade 

 one and so long as it was placed on the hive with the zinc side down it 

 worked all right, but this season the beekeeper had put it on upside down. 

 The penalty for his mistake was the loss of a good honey-crop. 



The hives in the Chilliwack district have the frames running parallel 

 back of the hive must pass underneath the frames. Some of the hives are 

 very old and falling to pieces, so it was not unusual to find the lower bars 

 with the front of the hives, so that the bees in making their way to the 

 of the frames resting on the bottom-board, thus stopping all movement 

 excepting round the end-bars of the frames. This condition is very, very 

 bad, but even worse is the hindrance to ventilation, and so swarming is 

 the natural result. 



In the same region where, as has already been said, the bottom-boards 

 are nailed firmly to the bodies, the hive is often so standing that the rear 

 is lower than the front, thus admitting the rain, which cannot escape. 

 The dead bees that fall off the combs drop into the water from which their 

 living sisters cannot seemingly move them, and so a layer gathers which 

 stops all movement and ventilation. The condition is a filthy one and is 



