THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 125 



When we think of the great comfort of \\< irking under a canopy 

 out of the sun and wind and shut away from the warrior bees, and 

 then think of how we used to get down by the hives outside and have 

 the hot sun burn the back of our heads off, we can readily appreciate 

 the value of a suitable shelter. But the shelter alone would not give 

 us at all times a safe outfit for our bees, as it needs tlie double-sized 

 hive or double-hi\cs, one above the other, to give capacity for winter 

 storage in the proper place above the bees, so there will be no danger 

 of starvation, as bees left in one of our hollow hi\e bodies run a great 

 many chances of starvation. 



Then again, this large hive is just as essential to give full capacity 

 for the queen to deposit all the eggs she will the fore part of the 

 season, so if you are keeping your bees in single-hive bodies and 

 have been fortunate in getting them through the winter alive and 

 wish to change to our double-hive method (about May first in this 

 latitude), just put on another hive body above your little flat hive 

 and give your queen access to both. Then soon put on honey cases 

 above all, so the bees will have a place to carry the honey out of this 

 big brood chamber and you can then go about your other business 

 without danger of swarming. Should you want increase, you can 

 make it when you take off your white honey the last of July by 

 setting these two hive bodies apart and ascertain where the queen is, 

 and give a queen to the queenless body and put on an extra body on 

 each and see that they build up good for winter ; if not, feed some, 

 so they will be sure to go through any winter safely. If you have 

 not a shelter for them, build them one as described in February 

 Review, as you would for any other of your stock, and be sure you 

 build it right. 



Now you see how simple this all is ; no new fangled appliances, 

 only two of our 8-frame dovetailed hives of the regular size put to- 

 gether and this put into a building fitted for it, and it makes it pos- 

 sible to work for unlimited comb honey of the finest quality, and if 

 we produce comb honey and do not extract we should conquer foul 

 brood. By it we avoid natural swarming and it gives us the oppor- 

 tunity of making our increase by divisions when we are ready. It 

 eliminates the danger of loss in winter almost wholly ; it reduces our 

 labor in caring for the bees fully three-fourths and by having our 

 bees housed in all ordinary weather, and do not have to pick selected 

 weather. This advantage alone would pay anyone for constructing 

 a shelter, and it will make bee-keeping ver^^ much more pleasant in 

 the extreme heat of the South or in the extreme cold of the North. 



If you have never kept bees by this method, and very likely you 

 have not, just try it in a small way if your faith is not large and be 

 convinced. 



