238 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



some, would prevent dampness. It would 

 lessen the cost of hives also. Cheaper and 

 lighter lumber would be used; no stones 

 would be needed on the covers, and no shade 

 boards to make and use. Hives would not 

 blow over, and would always be level. 



Bottom boards should not be fastened on, 

 for when swarms issue I would wish to hive 

 them on the stand they came from, setting 

 the old hive with the queen cells on top, with 

 a queen excluding honey board between it 

 and the swarm, and in about twelve days 

 after, or when I knew the queen cells had 

 hatched and been destroyed, I would remove 

 the top hive with virgin queen to a new 

 stand. 



If sections are given the swarm, a bottom 

 board with a three-quarter inch hole through 

 it and a piece of excluding zinc over this 

 must be placed between the sections and the 

 top hive. 



I think, though, that I would not allow 

 much swarming, but give or raise young 

 queens before swarming commenced, or di- 

 vide, as seemed best. 



I think hives should be set in pairs, placing 

 two close together and leaving a space of 

 eight. or ten inches between these and the 

 next two hives, thus giving room to adjust, 

 remove and replace cases. A cone escape 

 placed in front of each pair of hives (through 

 the wall) would probably be all the escapes 

 needed. 



Here is my way of using bee escapes: I 

 use flat covers the same size of hives in 

 length and width. I make a rim of this 

 size, one or two inches high, placing a cone 

 escape in or near one corner; remove the 

 surplus cases, smoking the bees down partly, 

 putting on other surplus cases at once, and 

 replace the cover; now place the rim on the 

 cover with the cone coming to front end of 

 hive. Set on the cases removed, putting on 

 cover and shade board, and in two hours 

 time the bees will be practically all out of 

 them. I have only used a single cone. But 

 robbers bother some in a dearth, so that 

 perhaps a double cone would be better. 

 When honey is plenty, no robbers bother 

 and bees come out promptly, except the few 

 very young bees. It is on the same principle 

 as Manum's escapes. By this means the 

 colony is disturbed but once, as the cover 

 is put in place and left there when removing 

 cases. 



I wish J. F. Mclntyre, Fillmore, Cal., 

 would try this method and report how it 



suits him. I think it will allow him to ex- 

 tract all his honey without holding it over 

 night, and more than he could by brushing 

 each comb. Any one having out apiaries 

 should try it. 

 AiNGEE, Ohio, Aug. 5, 1891. 



The House Apiary in Process of Development. 

 —Some of Its Advantages. 



JOSHUA BULL. 



fAM glad you have chosen house apiaries 

 for the topic in the August Review. A 

 free discussion of this subject will be 

 interesting and instructive; and doubtless 

 productive of much good and valuable in- 

 formation. Although bee houses have been 

 tried, condemned, and abandoned in the 

 years that are past, because of some unsatis- 

 factory features about their workings, yet 

 all that should not prevent further effort to 

 overcome and remove those objectionable 

 features. Let us remember that some of 

 the most valuable and useful conveniences 

 now in use were, in their first stages of de- 

 velopment, but crude, imperfect, and some- 

 times bungling affairs; yet, as their defects 

 became known they have been improved 

 upon btep by step, their workings perfected 

 until they have become indispensable neces- 

 sities in the business life of this fast age. 

 Just so it may be in a measure with bee 

 houses; and I believe that the ideas have 

 already been conceived and are now being 

 worked out which will render the house 

 apiary one of the most commodious and 

 desirable features in practical bee keeping. 

 The cost of building need not be great; a 

 cheap one will answer a good purpose if 

 properly constructed. It should be large 

 enough to allow sufficient room so as not to 

 feel " cooped up " when at work therein. 



I should prefer to have regular movable 

 hives the same as for open air, only the bot- 

 tom board stationary in the house; then the 

 hiving of swarms can be managed the same 

 as when all is in the open air. If the queen 

 is clipped she can be caged and the bees 

 allowed to return to their old location, 

 where an empty hive can be placed in wait- 

 ing for them (first removing the old hive, of 

 course), or the swarm may be hived wherever 

 it clusters and then placed in the house at 

 pleasure. 



In your "leader," on page 187, you ask 

 " What are the advantages of a house 



