96 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



the one expected to swarui, over a queen ex- 

 cluding houey board, allowing the l)ees to 

 pass under it, with two rows of zinc at the 

 entrance. When the bees swarm, the queen 

 and drones pass up through the wire tubes, 

 and by cutting off the two lower rows of zinc 

 by placing a square stick in front while the 

 swarm is out, all the bees will be compelled 

 to enter the new hive when they return. I 

 believe I was the first one to suggest this 

 plan, as well as that of putting one hive on 

 top of the other in this connection. 



Mr. Pratt, in his latest device, has made 

 important progress, and I am willing to ad- 

 mit that his device is the nearest perfection 

 of any now known ; of the unknown, the fu- 

 ture only can tell. I have some new ideas 

 that promise good results, but until I have 

 proven them by experiment, will say nothing 

 further. 



The past season I had about l.'')() hivers in 

 use, and had something over 100 swarms 

 issue from them, and perhaps 200 swarms 

 while I have used hivers. If any one has ex- 

 perimented on a larger scale on this line, I 

 am not aware of it. 



My general conclusions are, that the hiver 

 is being perfected by gradual stages, and 

 that it will soon be all that any one could 

 desire. 



I was a good deal amused by some of the 

 criticisms in the last Review. It is some- 

 what singular that such a man as R. L. Tay- 

 lor should still hang on to the drone trap, 

 for hiving purposes. He tries to make a 

 great point in the increased cost of the hiver 

 over the trap, but in fact one can be made 

 about as cheaply as the other. In fact, the 

 cost of hivers is a very small item when 

 their advantages and saving of hired help, or 

 time in watching for swarms, is considered. 

 The only strong point Mr. Taylor makes 

 against the latest Pratt device is the difficul- 

 ty of deciding which hives have swarmed, 

 where one is not present, without lifting off 

 hives and supers. In a large apiary that 

 would be a ireighfy question indeed. How- 

 ever. I have a plan for overcoming even this 

 difficulty that may prove successful. It is to 

 bore, say one-inch holes in opposite sides of 

 the hive, and cut holes through the foun- 

 dation or combs, so one can look through it. 

 A small glass and drop pieces can be used to 

 close the holes. If the new hive is used a la 

 Hutchinson, with starters only, one could 

 easily tell if any swarming had taken place. 

 Really, the real objections to the new Pratt 



hivers are disappearing so fast that I may yet 

 adopt them myself. 



In the Taylor drone-trap-inanagement 

 suppose he is running several out apiaries 

 that he can visit but once in four or five days, 

 and swarming takes place the following day 

 or two. and the queen and drones with a few 

 bees are caught in the trap as per program, 

 a heavy, cold rain sets in, and perhaps he is 

 unable to reach the apiary in even the usual 

 time, what condition do you think his queen 

 would be in when he discovers her ? Again, 

 I do not see how his drone-trap would be 

 any less fatal to a young queen, in case of 

 superseding, tlian a hiver. Again, Mr. Tay- 

 lor gets off that "old chestnut" about 

 swarms, without any queens, doubling up in 

 the air, or in trees. Well, suppose they do. 

 They will not generally stay doubled up long, 

 but will very generally return each to their 

 own hives. I have had hundreds of swarms 

 issue through the hivers, sometimes from 

 three to live at once, and do not now remem- 

 ber a single case of doubling up by all 

 going to one hive. There may be exceptions, 

 of course, but I think the rule is well estab- 

 lished. There are some other points that I 

 would like to notice, but space forbids. 



Some have objected to hivers on account 

 of their bothering the bees in crawling 

 through the zinc, and imagine that the yield 

 is thereby lessened. When a considerable 

 space has to be traveled over, as where one 

 hive is placed in front of the other, the same 

 objection has been raised. I do not think 

 that either is valid, as some of the best yields 

 I have had during the past two seasons, were 

 produced from hives under just such condi- 

 tions. 



Milan, 111. March 20, ixm. 



A Few More Words of Explanation and De- 

 fense of the Pratt Self -Hiver. 



E. L. TKATT. 

 " But hiB iieiLjIihor ciuiietli and scarcheth him." 

 ! F{ . H UTCHINS( )N :— I have only just 

 now read the leader in the February 

 Review and I wish to say a few 

 words more in regard to self-hi vers. ( )n page 

 44 you say " * * But they require some 

 attention afterwards : the whole arrange- 

 ment of the hive and super is not what it 

 would be if the bee-keeper had been at home 

 when the swarm issued." giving the impres- 

 sion that the hive must be changed at oncQ> 



