230 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



But I am wandering from my subject, or 

 rather, I tiave not touched it. To-day as I 

 write the sun i.? intensely hot, and it helps 

 me to appreciate the advantages of a hive 

 th.'it is capable of beiny handled bodily in 

 place of handliufj; the frames separately, for 

 it helps me the more distinctly to recall the 

 times I have sweltered all day long taking 

 out frames one by one for extracting, to the 

 days when swarms where coming out galore 

 and every moment was precious. How I 

 have perspired over the ramshackle hives to 

 which so many coutiime to be wedded in 

 readjusting the frames every time one was 

 moved, and to the many other occasions 

 when queens we^e to be caught or the condi- 

 tion of colonies was to be determined, or 

 brood was to be spread, or hives were to be 

 contracted when some other duty demanded 

 a share of my time, or when tlie shade of a 

 friendly tree was found to be more grateful 

 by a large percentage than the direct rays of 

 the sun. 



In the matters specified as well as lu many 

 others I have demonstrated the utility of 

 hives that can be handled instead of frames, 

 by the use for several years of several hun- 

 dred of tlie now Heddon pattern. 



It would seem to require no argument to 

 show that a hive suitable to be handled in 

 the manner suggested must be a sectional 

 hive, and it would further seem a matter of 

 course that only the new Heddon hive or 

 some infringement thereon can answer the 

 requirements. Is it not safe to say: Hinc 

 ilia' lachry mae ? " 



It will require no extensive illustration to 

 show to the unprejudiced mind tl»e advan- 

 tages of hive handling over frame handling. 

 Using as 1 now do the hive mentioned, if J 

 wish to remove honey which is ready for ex- 

 tracting, a few puffs of smoke drive the 

 bees below, and with one motion I lift off 

 the whole section. If I wish to catcli a queen, 

 if it be at a time when there is little honey 

 in the upper section, a few puffs of smoke 

 will drive the queen up, when I take the 

 upper section and with two or three vigorous 

 shakes deposit the queen with tlie bees on 

 tlie ground in front of the hive, where she is 

 readily captured. If the upp(!r section is 

 heavy with honey drive her down and shake 

 the lower story in like manner. If it is de- 

 sired to determine whether a laying queen 

 be present, or the amount of brood, or 

 whether preparations for swarming are 

 making, or any other of the particulars of 



the internal condition of the colony, raise 

 one end of the upper section to the angle 

 desired and all is disclosed. If a rapid ex- 

 tension of brood is wanted just t the ap- 

 proach of the honey season, when the bees 

 are numerous enough to keep the entire hive 

 warm, simply place the lower section on top 

 of the upper one, and the work is done in 

 the best manner possible. If you wish to 

 increase your colonies by division take one 

 section of the hive with the bees in it and 

 put it on a new stand, and in three or four 

 days give a queen to the colony that has 

 begun the construction of queen cells, all of 

 which is easily accomplished without touch- 

 ing a frame. If you desire to contract cer- 

 tain hives at the beginuiiagof the early honey 

 season in order to get as much as possible of 

 the white honey in the sections, take one 

 section from each, shaking out the bees, and 

 put the removed section above the honey 

 board of a colony that needs strengthening 

 till the brood hatches. In like manner to 

 get the best results hive swarms in one sec- 

 tion of the hive. By kindred mauiimlation 

 colonies may be united in the fall, and winter 

 stores equalized. What is left? Frames 

 must of course be taken out to be extracted, 

 sometimes to make sure no queen cell is 

 left in a hive, and to straighten a comb 

 wlien one is out of shape. A bare statement 

 is all that is necessary to show the advantage 

 of handling hives instead of frames. I 

 think it is safe to say that one-half the ne- 

 cessary labor is saved thereby, and that the 

 most disagreeable part. (Some will not 

 agree, but wlio that has tried it to any 

 extent questions itV Let practical results be 

 the criterion. 

 ■ Lapeeis, Mich., Sept. 17, bS!)l. 



Persuaded at Last to Handle Hives Instead 

 of Frames. 



GEO. F. BOBBINS. 



SRli. B. TAYLOR, on page 17!», July 

 *• Review, pays his respects to me in 

 a courteous way that tempts me to 

 reply. I thought at first I would write to 

 him personally, but it occurs to me that 

 what I have to say should go into this same 

 magazine, if there is room for it. 



Mr. Taylor refers to my article in Glean- 

 ings of May 1st, in which I outline the sys- 

 tem of hiving in contracted brood chambers, 

 and says: " How clumsy his numagement 

 seems to one accustomed to using small, 

 divisible brood-chamber hives." My reply 



