878 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 15 



were not a prett}' good thing; and when 

 Mr. Danzenbaker visited us a short time 

 ago he remarked, with some emphasis, 

 " The Callbreath article with illustrations 

 which you published in July 15th Glean- 

 ings was one of the best things you have 

 ever given to the public." Since then we 

 have been figuring on various forms of 

 hive-stands for our own use, as we think 

 enough of the principle to give it at least a 

 reasonable test in one of our outyards an- 

 other season. We therefore constructed two 

 diflferent patterns — one made up of simple 

 posts and frame, as shown in the smaller 

 illustrations, and another on a plan devised 

 by Mr. Danzenbaker, as shown on p. 885. 

 I argued with him that the first mentioned 

 was simpler and cheaper, and just as ser- 

 viceable. But he finally convinced me that 

 his stand could be made shorter, and that 

 the posts could be sawn out of three-inch 

 plank, the same as our old chaff hive posts 

 were made of, in the shape of a letter V. 

 Double and cross nailing with cap or wa- 

 ter-table boards laid flatwise on top of the 

 frame would make a stronger stand — one 

 that would not need to be so long as the 

 other for the same number of hives, because 

 the cap boards could project over on each 

 end, and rest on the posts. 



On page 886 the two stands are shown, 

 for each one to decide for himself which is 

 the better. 



Now, the question arises, " Is the double 

 stand as good as one that will accommo- 

 date only one hive?" Dr. C. C. Miller 

 and many other prominent bee-keepers all 

 over the United States have used for \ears 

 a double stand ; but the Miller was made of 

 boards and 2X4's, the same lying very 

 close to the ground. But Mr. Callbreath 

 suggested the convenience of having a stand 

 high enough so that the operator could 

 practice shaking or brushing swarms, unit- 

 ing, and doing the thousand and one other 

 things done where hives are set in pairs, 

 without an}' back-breaking work. Such a 

 stand permits the toes or insteps to stick 

 under far enough to allow the thighs to 

 abut up against the hives, forming a brace 

 to the body while lifting heavj' combs out 

 of the hive or putting them in. 



As Dr. Miller has said, the bees of one 

 stand will not make the mistake of going 

 into the next entrance on the same stand, 

 although the bees of one hive may, bv mis- 

 take, enter the corresponding hi\'e in the 

 pair next adjoining. If, however, one ar- 

 ranges to have three hives on one stand, two 

 on another, and perhaps one on still anoth- 

 er, this confusion would be entirelj' over- 

 come. If, further, one stand is under or 

 near a tree, another is backed up by a low 

 ,bush, another facing a lot of weeds, anoth- 

 er near a building, and so on through the 

 apiarj', even queen-rearing work could go 

 on, and young queens will always find 

 their regular entrances. 



The hive stands illustrated are one foot 

 high, and will accommodate two hives 

 placed a little way apart, or three hives 



placed close together, the two end-hives in 

 this case projecting a little over the end of 

 the stand. 



The legs can be set down on the ground 

 anywhere, and all that is required is to 

 level up for the one leg that is either too 

 high or too low. 



Now, what are the objections to these 

 stands up on legs ? One is that clipped 

 queens mig-ht get lost down under the hives 

 in the grass, being' unable to Hy up on the 

 entrance- boards; but if the swarm is in the 

 air it w'ould be a very easy matter to find 

 the queen, because, instead of running into 

 some hive, she would be in the grass, ac- 

 companied by the usual characteristic ball 

 of bees. 



Another objection is that, during the 

 height of the honey-flow, heavily laden 

 bees may jusf uitss the entrance-board, and 

 then it is necessar}- for them to take wing 

 again befure they can get into the hives. 

 This is a more serious objection in spring; 

 for if the bee does not make the entrance 

 the first time it will probably fall down on 

 the ground, and chill, with the result that 

 there will be spring dwindling in the hive 

 if bad weather continues long. Mr. Call- 

 breath overcomes this objection by running 

 a board from t^e ground up to the alight- 

 ing board; but here is quite an expense. 

 We overcome it to a great extent bj' making 

 a verj' wide alighting-board — saj' six inch- 

 es wide. If the entrance is made large an 

 inch deep or more by the depth of the hive, 

 99 bees out of 100 will fly through the en- 

 trance and strike the bees hanging down 

 under the frames. The hundredth one 

 would strike on the alighting-board. If 

 the hives are raised oft" the ground, the 

 alighting-board must be ample in size — 

 that is sure. 



In our 1904 model of hives the alighting- 

 boards are six inches wide and detachable. 

 When turned one side up, the entrance is 

 contracted down to '4 inch deep by 8 inches 

 wide. When turned the other side up. the 

 entrance is I's in. deep by the width of the 

 hive. Or if the alighting-board is pulled 

 out entireU', and it is slipped under the 

 hive in the case of a newlj' hived swarm, 

 the entrance will be I'i deep by the width 

 of the hive. So much for alighting-boards 

 for overcoming one difficulty. 



But there is still another objection, and 

 one that is of far greater w^eight in hot 

 countries than in the North. We will saj' 

 one colon}' is being robbed badlj'. It is 

 often desirable to stt a bee-tent over such a 

 colony to protect it in the mean time. How 

 would I overcome this objection? Why, set 

 the bee-tent over both hives, or put the rob- 

 bed colony down cellar till we get a chance 

 to contract the entrance, and the robbers 

 have eased up. 



I should like to hear from some of our 

 subscribers who have tried these hive-stands 

 up on stilts, we will say. As I go through 

 the country I find all sorts of supports for 

 the hive; and I have seen not a few of the 

 pattern I have shown in this issue. 



