A BEGINNER'S EQUIPMENT 19 



A Beginner's Equipment. — Hives of the Langstroth dimen- 

 sions are now almost universally recommended, because of the 

 fact that they are everywhere standard. Hives of other patterns 

 may be equally good for practical service, but the purchase of 

 supplies may be difficult, bees offered for sale in them may bring 

 much less because of the fact that the buyer will want them in 

 standard hives, and similar reasons. Supplies for the standard 

 hives can be secured almost anywhere, and bees in such hives 

 are usually saleable in localities where bees can be sold at all. 



On the other hand, there is a decided difference of opinion 

 as to the size of hive. In many cases the eight-frame hive has 

 been selected, only to prove too small. This small hive body, 

 which is largely occupied for brood-rearing, is too small to accom- 

 modate a vigorous queen, and forces much of the honey into the 

 supers during the honey flow, with the result that in many locali- 

 ties, where the flows are short and rapid, insufficient honey re- 

 mains in the broad chamber for wintering. In the hands of inex- 

 perienced persons many bees are lost from lack of stores. The 

 necessity of feeding at the close of the honey flow requires a lot 

 of work and is not always agreeable, as the author has found 

 by experience. While many persons have changed from the 

 eight-frame to the ten-frame size, but few successful bee-keepers 

 have changed from the ten-frame to the smaller size. In some 

 localities, hives of this pattern as large as twelve-frame are in 

 use. Most of the successful men prefer the ten-frame, and it 

 would seem to meet the requirements of a greater number than 

 any other size. In few localities does the eight-frame hive seem 

 to be suited to conditions. Seldom does one find an experienced 

 man working with hives of other patterns but who is free to say 

 that they have been a source of annoyance, to say the least. Of 

 course if one is situated where some other hive is in almost 

 universal use, the advantage of having equipment similar to that 

 in general use would be an item not to be overlooked. The 

 Dadant hive has some advantages over the Langstroth hive, espe- 

 cially for extracted honey production. This is the standard hive 



