96 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



May, 



fail. The best way to use it is to put 

 it in some cotton rags, roll these rags 

 and put them in the smoker so that 

 the propolis be scattered through 

 them. 



THE SHALLOW^ vs. DEEP FRAME 

 CONTROVERSY. 



Reply to Mr . W. W. McNeal 

 By T. K. Massie. 



IN THE Bee-Keeper for September, 

 page 179, Mr. McNeal, replying 

 to Arthur C. Miller, says: "But it 

 seems he (Mr. Miller) has rather 

 substantiated the correctness of 

 my claim — that hives shallower 

 than the Langstroth do not pro- 

 perly meet all the requirements 

 of a colony of bees during the 

 cold of winter and early spring. 

 (We say this is correct. We 

 also claim that the Langstroth is too 

 shallow to "properly" meet all the re- 

 quirements of the bees during winter 

 and early spring or any other part of 

 the year.) Those conditions that 

 favor best the welfare of the bees do 

 not serve the interest of the bee- 

 keepers so well. Either one or the 

 other must be the loser and usually it 

 is the bees." 



The above is true, every bit of it, 

 but if we can have a shallow frame 

 hive which meets all the requirements 

 of the bees far better than the regular 

 Langstroth, giving us a deeper frame 

 for wintering, one, while not made 

 for "man's special benefit" alone, 

 which looks to the welfare of the 

 bees first and yet retains all the ad- 

 vantages to man that the Langstroth 

 does and more too, then where does 

 Mr. McN's objections to the shallow 

 frame hive come in? It is evident 

 that it is not the principle of the shal- 

 low frame he objects to, for he says 

 that "shallow hives were a great fad" 

 with him at one time. Then it must 

 be wrong principles of construction 

 that he is combating. 



Again he says: "Man's own con- 

 venience has gradually encroached 

 upon that of the bees till in the con- 

 struction of the modern shallow hive, 

 Mr. Miller tells us it was designed for 

 man's especial benefit." (True again) 

 * * But hive manipulation, however 

 systematic it may be with shallow 

 hives, cannot make these hives 

 as warm as hives of natural built 

 combs." In this Mr. McN. is very 



much mistaken. It also proves that 

 he has never had experience with 

 shallow hives, properly constructed 

 We think the expression of "natural 

 built combs" must have been a slip, 

 for certainly a shallow hive would 

 contain no combs that were not 

 "natural built." 



"The divisible brood-chamber musi 

 have outside protection to make it as 

 warm as a large single-story hive oi 

 the same capacity would be withou! 

 outside packing." Not at all, Mr 

 McN. You are again mistaken. The 

 ideal hive has frames only 7 1-4 inches 

 deep and yet it is warmer than anj 

 "single-story" hive can be. 



"When a colony of bees has weath 

 ered the bitter cold of winter and it; 

 vitality is far spent, rhe arrangement- 

 of the combs for warmth and protec 

 tion is of the greatest importance 

 when breeding is begun in earb 

 spring. We all know that brood can 

 not be reared profitably where chil 

 ling drafts of air circulate." (Right. 

 "The brood chamber that is made ui 

 of two cases of shallow frarrtes can 

 not save the energy of the bees as i 

 should, owing to the great amount 

 cold air passing around the comb 

 and through the very heart of th 

 brood-nest." Wrong, altogethc 

 wrong, which goes to further prov 

 what we have stated above, that M: 

 McN. never had experience with 

 properly constructed divisible shallo\ 

 frame hive. "If I mistake not M: 

 Miller makes good capital of the the 

 ory of the deep or tall section bo3 

 whichever you choose to call it. I: 

 fact nearly all the advocates of sha ' 

 low hives whose writings have com 

 to my notice hold to the belief tha 

 bees will complete a deep sectio: 

 quicker than one of a square shape 

 Funny, isn't it? that a principle 

 hive construction said to be so utter 

 ly at variance with the instincts 

 bees when employed in brood-chair 

 ber, it should be so mutually bench 

 cial in super arrangement. With al 

 due respect for the opinions of thoS' 

 who differ with me, I will add tha 

 sectional brood-chambers and system 

 IS founded on the strength of artificia 

 resources and unless it has the back 

 ing of the sugar barrel it is necessaril; 

 shorn of its chief allurement and ceas 

 es to be practical." Yes, we advocat 

 the use of tall sections, and, for th 

 same reasons we advocate deep frame 



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