Sept. 14, 1899. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



581 



projecting- far enough over the sides and ends of the hive 

 so that when the super-cover was on, the large telescope 

 cover would press the paper down over the hive for three 

 or four inches, cutting off to a minimum the upward draft. 



The frame I use is self-spacing, of the Root-Hoffman 

 style, tho a little shorter and some deeper than the Lang- 

 stroth frame. I consider this frame better adapted to the 

 wants of the bees than the loose, swinging Langstroth 

 frame, and, since of late the seasons have been so very un- 

 certain as regards the honey crop, I think it best to yield 

 these little conveniences, some of them at least, to the bees. 



Now, do you not see that by closing the space between 

 the top-bars of the frame and the space between the end- 

 bars closed part way down, the space between any two 

 combs is. to a large extent, a little hive all to itself ? Can 

 you think of a more convenient way of making the hive 

 always fit the colony ? Tf all this were no advantage to the 

 bees,' why did my bees fare better than those of many bee- 

 Iceepers who winter their bees in the orthodox way — that of 

 having an air-chamber over the cluster? 



I will venture to say, many colonies of bees that died 

 last winter did not die o'f starvation, because there was no 

 honey-(devr) in the hive, but because the temperature within 

 the hive was so cold they could not reach it. Why not. I 

 say, confine the warmth of the cluster to the frames on 

 ■which the bees are ? 



You who claim that it matters not if the heat does es- 

 cape over into the outside spaces between the combs, even 

 to the sides and ends of the hive, for it is still within the 

 hive, and finally returns to the cluster, do you think the 

 bees recognize the fact ? Do you think you would, if placed 

 in a like "situation ? I fear not. When the air-space or 

 bee-space over the frames is used in connection with a 

 thick-wall hive, I know of no better death-trap in which to 

 torture bees, especially when the colony is already numeri- 

 cally weak. They cannot generate sufficient heat to ward 

 off the cold, and the winter sunshine never penetrates the 

 icy walls. A thick-wall hive is all right for a large colony, 

 for they of themselves can keep warm within its walls. 

 There they remain quiet — when the food is right — for the 

 light does not attract them. 



The single-wall hive is better down here for weak colo- 

 nies, from the fact that the sun shines frequently — that is, 

 usually— and the hives warm up quickly, tho these frequent 

 flights the bees take cause the queen to laj' too early, which 

 also causes her to fall behind at the very time she should 

 be doing her best. Scioto Co.. Ohio. 



The Advantag'es of House-Apiaries. 



BY A. H. DUFF. 



I THINK that bees would be more generally kept in 

 houses if those who keep them would try my plan of 

 management. It is true that quite a number have house- 

 apiaries, and quite a good many of these houses are very 

 peculiarly constructed, and many of them of old date. It 

 seems that in the past considerable prejudice existed 

 against keeping bees in a house, and house-apiaries seemed 

 to be discarded. I think the feeling originated because of 

 structures that were not suited to the purpose intended. I 

 know that some such buildings were very peculiarly and 

 very expensively built, and filled with all manner of venti- 

 lators, slides, shelves, and tiers of hives. They were very 

 long, narrow buildings, and certainl)- disgusted the writer 

 with house-apiaries. 



I have used two kinds of houses for bees that I like. 

 One was on a small scale, and the other on a larger one. In 

 the first place. I consider the expense of such things, and 

 adopt something that is as cheap as possible, yet something 

 that will answer the purpose for which it is intended. Per- 

 haps I do not put on quite enough style, but if I cannot 

 make bees bear their expense and give me a profit that will 

 pay me for my attention, I will quit the business, and also 

 stop writing about them. 



To get about all the benefit of the house-apiary on a 

 small scale, we construct a house that will accommodate 10 

 colonies of bees at about the same expense that it would 

 cost to make 10 chaff hives for these colonies. A small 

 house 6 feet wide, 10 feet long, and 7 high, will cleverly 

 accommodate 10 colonies, and give good working-room, be- 

 sides leaving at the end ample room for an extractor. By 

 using two tiers of hives, which is done inmost house-api- 

 aries, it would double the number of colonies. But here I 

 ■will say, that after trying the plan of two tiers of full col- 

 onies in a house, either large or small, I have totally aban- 

 <loned it. 



I do not want full colonies except on the floor, and for 

 the second tier we can conveniently place nuclei for queen- 

 rearing. In these small houses I would only use floor space 

 enough to set the hives on each side, and have a ground 

 floor thru the center to stand on while working with them. 

 In some respects these small houses are preferable to large 

 ones, as they can be made portable and so arranged in an 

 apiarj- that bees never become bothered in finding their 

 way to the hives, as is the case with those long house-api- 

 aries. The}' are also very convenient to winter in. as loose 

 chaff may be well packt about the hives, and the house may 

 be half filled with it. As a wintering arrangement they 

 are superior to any chaff hive, and, as I said above, they 

 are just as cheap, if not cheaper. A house of this kind may 

 be made and painted nicely at a cost not to exceed SIO, or 

 one dollar for each hive. 



On a large scale I have an ordinary cottage-house of 

 two rooms, accommodating about 40 colonies, using but one 

 tier of colonies on the floor, and on the second tier above I 

 use nuclei for queen-rearing only. This on account of giv- 

 ing more room. I like still better than the small house, and 

 as for shape and convenience, I prefer an ordinary room or 

 rooms, in preference to anything else. I set the hives on 

 an ordinary bottom-board, about four inches from the floor, 

 setting them back from the wall about three inches, thus 

 giving working-space, and room for packing in the winter. 

 Any house of ordinary construction, one that may simply 

 break the wind and turn the rain — a floor is not a necessity 

 — will answer all the purposes of a modern house-apiary. 

 A building of the size of the above, or larger if required, 

 and a number of the small houses as described, would be 

 my ideal apiary. 



The advantages of having bees in a house are many. 

 There is not a day in spring, summer and autumn, but you 

 can perform any work with them desired. Hives, supers and 

 fixtures generally, need not be made and painted so as to 

 stand the outside" weather, which would add to the cost ma- 

 terially. All of these fixtures will last much longer by 

 keeping them out of the weather, and will remain in proper 

 shape that will allow of their adjustment to the proper 

 place. Bees are much easier workt with in a house, as they 

 seldom attempt to sting. No bees are flying about 

 when you are at work. No robber-bees bother when you 

 open the hives. Feeding is a pleasure. In extracting there 

 are no bees following you around to get a taste. If you 

 happen to get a few bees inside, darken the windows, and 

 by thus throwing the rooms in darkness, and with a few 

 little holes or cracks that will admit the light, the bees will 

 make for them at once, go out, and in less time than I can 

 write this they will all be outside. Of course you want bee- 

 escapes at the windows, which will ordinarily let them out. 



During the honey season, which occurs in the hottest 

 time, the opening of hives and the handlingof heavy combs 

 of honey are always done at more or less of risk when out 

 in the hot sun, and must often be done at quite a distance 

 from the extractor. In the house, the extractor sets in the 

 center of the room, and it is but a step or two to the hives, 

 as they are all about the same distance away, and only 

 a part of the combs need be removed at a time. In 

 queen-rearing, and introducing queens outside, we often 

 lose valuable queens ; the queens fly from the combs which 

 we are handling, and fly away. This does not occur in the 

 house. There i^s also no" melting down of honey-combs in 

 excessively hot weather, as in the case of hives out in the 

 sun. The" advantages of fixing them up for the winter, and 

 their chances for wintering better, are equally great.— Ag- 

 ricultural Epitomist. Pawnee Co., Kan. 



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