16 DADAXT SYSTEM OF BEEKEEPING 



boards, while the Quinby-Dadant brood chamber has to be made 

 of lumber over 12 inches wide, which is now very scarce, or be 

 pieced together with a tongue and groove joint. This has been 

 made less objectionable by placing the tongue and groove near 

 the top of the brood chamber, where it is covered by the strip 

 that supports the telescope cover. 



Of late years, in a view of economy, even shallow brood 

 chambers have been made in two pieces. As this use of narrow 

 lumber is likely to continue, there is probably little manufactur- 

 ing advantage in the shallower hive. We mention it only be- 

 cause of the criticism expressed by some manufacturers. 



Many people, bee owners, rather than bee keepers, do not 

 think that their bees are doing well if they do not cast swarms. 

 For such people the small hive is a boon, for the swarms are 

 numerous. Commercial beekeepers view the matter in a 

 different light. 



The greatest excellence of the small hive, in the minds of 

 many people, is its low price. But what would we say of a 

 farmer who built a barn insufficient to accommodate more than 

 one half of his live stock, hay and implements? As Mr. Lang- 

 stroth put it: "Hiving a large swarm of bees in a small hive may 

 be compared to harnessing a powerful team of horses to a baby 

 wagon or wasting a noble water-fall in turning a petty water- 

 wheel." 



These are the qualities as well as the limitations of the 

 small brood chamber. 



From the experience mentioned above, the writer came to 

 the following conclusions: 



A large brood-chamber should be compact, sufficient for 

 all the requirements of the best queens and for supplying all 

 the honey that a populous colony needs for winter and spring, 

 as well as pollen for breeding. 



There are several ways to increase the capacity of the 

 Langstroth hive. A 10-frame hive may be increased to very 

 nearly the proper capacity, equal to that of the Dadant, by 

 adding a shallow story super such as we use for extracting. 

 The hive may also be doubled by adding a full story on top. 



