218 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



Handling Hives Instead of Frames. 



In Gleaninqs, for July If), in a (luite lengthy 

 article upon the above topic, by C. J. H. 

 Gravenhorst, of Germany. I have read it 

 over twice with a view to cutting it down, 

 but considering the importance of the sub- 

 ject and the manner in which it is liaudled, 

 I liud that it cannot be satisfactorily con- 

 densed, so 1 give it entire: 



" Friend Root:— I was much delighted in 

 reading UleanuKjs for May 1, p, ;»«, where 1 

 found a letter from Mr. A. 1^\ Brown, and 

 your foot-note to it. Yes, you and Mr. B. 

 liave undoubtedly int the point exactly and 

 never I think, was a word truer than yours: 

 'Sooner or later bee-keeping lias got to re- 

 solve itself into the liandling of liives more 

 and frames less.' You say furtlier: 'It may 

 be truthfully said, that old bee-keepers do 

 not spend the time they once did over their 

 bees; and we think it is e.qually true, that, 

 as our industry progresses, bee-keepers as a 

 class to-day, or in the near future, will not 

 spend the time over their bees they did a few 

 years ago; in other words, they will get a 

 thousand pounds of honey witli less labor.' 

 Now, friend K., let me tell you why I re- 

 joice over your words. First, tliose words 

 came from one whose name is known to bee- 

 keepers all over the world; and because you 

 fully know, I believe, what you are speaking 

 of as an authority in bee-matters. Second, 

 because I have fought for that principle to 

 whicli you give expression in those words, 

 nearly as long as i have kept bees in mov- 

 able-coml> hives. Descended from a family 

 which was in the bee-business for genera- 

 tions, 1 kept bees at tirst just as did my fore- 

 fathers in the old Luneburgian straw skeps; 

 and, I may say, with no less success than 

 they. Our crop from <iU to SO colonies, 

 spring count, wluoh were increased, by 

 swarming and driving, to 180 or 240 colonies, 

 was, in tlie best seasons, from oltUO to (JUOO 

 lbs. of honey, and from f>0 to «0 lbs. of wax 

 —a yield that is to this day not uncommon 

 among our old-fashioned bee-keepers in 

 Nortli Germany, especially in the province 

 of Hannover: and, what is the main thing, 

 tliey get it at less cost of labor and time than 

 the bee-keepers do to-day with their mov- 

 al)le-comb liives. 



At the time I became well acquainted with 

 Dzierzon's writings and witii Inmself, I got 

 some Dzierzon and Berlepsch liives, and 

 kept bees in them by way of trial. But 1 

 found out sometliing l)y this new method 

 tliat did not satisfy me in contrast with the 

 old one. In the course of several years I 

 always got more honey and wax in the old- 

 fashioned way, vnth my old Luneburgian 

 straw skeps than with my accurately con- 

 structed and skillfully handled Dzierzon and 

 Berlepsch hives; and last, but not least, with 

 undoubtedly less cost, labor and time. What 

 was the reason? Not taking into the account 

 that the bees did not do as well in the win- 

 ter, nor thrive early in the spring in this 

 frame hive, experience soon convinced me 



that the principle point was, that I could 

 handle my old skeps instead of individual 

 frames, and get a thousand pounds of honey 

 with less labor. Of course, my experience 

 would have prompted me to have abandoned 

 the movable-comb hive totally had I been 

 blind enough to misunderstand the great ad- 

 vantages of the latter. What was to be done 

 under such circumstances, not to fall out of 

 the frying-pan into the fire? All things con- 

 sidered, 1 thought: How would it be if you 

 combine the great advantages of the Lune- 

 burgian straw skep with the superiority of 

 the movable-comb hiveV This idea was 

 strengthened by Dzierzon and Berlepsch. 

 Both of them wrote at that time in their 

 works as well as in the Bienenzeitnnij (Bee 

 Journal), that, if it were possible to furnish 

 the Luneburgian straw skeps with suitable 

 frames, there would be no better hive than 

 such a one, in regard to wintering bees, rapid 

 increase in the population of colonies in the 

 spring, and, not least, ease in manipulation; 

 but the cylindrical shape and the arched top 

 of the old hive would not permit this. All 

 right, I thought; but, why not alter the shape 

 and enlarge the hive to a moderate movable- 

 comb hive? The result of my endeavor was 

 the construction of a hive of which you will 

 find some pictures in Dadant's Revised 

 Langstroth. It is this: The old Lunebur- 

 gian skep with the arched top, only larger, 

 and not in the shape of a cylinder; but by 

 means of this it is furnished with 10 mov- 

 able fixed frames, nearly as large as the 

 Laugstrotii frames. Although Dzierzon, 

 Berlei)sch and other prominent bee-keepers 

 in Germany acknowledge the great value of 

 this hive, it is adoi)ted, with few exceptions, 

 only by such bee-keepers as have kept bees 

 in the old straw skeps, and therefore they 

 know by experience the great advantages in 

 handling bees V)y turning the hive over and 

 manipulating the whole hire. On the other 

 hand, this hive has met more vehement op- 

 position than all others. But this is easy to 

 underst ami. He who has never handled bees 

 in the Luneburgian straw skeps, especially 

 in the rational way, like the bee-keepers of 

 North Germany, can not have the slightest 

 idea of the advantages bees may be handled 

 with in such hives. 



The greatest objection to this hive has 

 been the inverson, or turning over, before 

 one can manage the bees. But by doing it 

 in the right way it is not a bit more trouble- 

 some than to take off a well-filled super from 

 a Dadant hive. If you have those skeps 

 standing on the ground (as is always the 

 case in America), you do not have to lift the 

 whole hive— only to turn it toward you. Let 

 it first rest on the front edge, then on the 

 front side, and at last on top. 



Now, 1 don't intend to urge any of my 

 brother bee-keepers in America to accept 

 fliis moval)le straw hive— no, not in the 

 least. Their honey-market and other cir- 

 cumstances are different from those in Ger- 

 many in more than one respect; and, besides 

 that," I am fully aware that the hive used in 

 America is tlie most suitable one for the 

 wants of the Americanbee-keepors. But as 

 there is nothing perfect in tliis world of 

 trouble, and progress must take place every- 



