ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



175 



the good points of the eight-frame 

 hive in the production of extracted 

 honey. 



In starting this discussion, let me 

 say in a few words I could tell you 

 why I prefer the small hive for my 

 locality. But when we take into con- 

 sideration that bees are kept through- 

 out the American continent, in nearly 

 every place where agriculture is 

 carried on, from the northern limits of 

 the United States to the Gulf of 

 Mexico and from the Atlantic to the 

 Pacific oceans, taking in the vast area 

 with its varied climates, it is no won- 

 der there is a difference in the opin- 

 ions of bee-keepers in regard to the 

 size of the hive as well as the differ- 

 ent kinds of management required in 

 each locality. 



My experience is limited in regard 

 to localities. For the last 27 years I 

 have been -keeping bees in the north- 

 ern part of' this State, and it is a cold 

 climate. Our summer season is short, 

 and it is for such a locality I prefer 

 the small hive. Though, after think- 

 ing over carefully the subject of hives, 

 I do not know that I will be able to 

 say much about the small hive. But 

 if my opponent discusses this question 

 in proportion to the size of the hive 

 he uses, we may expect something. 



The bee-keeper who depends almost 

 entirely upon the income derived from 

 his bees for the support of his family 

 will soon find there is something more 

 than the size of the hive to take into 

 consideration. Every hive must have 

 its system of management. It is in- 

 separable from the hive itself. It is 

 this that makes bee-keeping a science 

 — one of the grandest pursuits that 

 God has given us. 



The more careful study we give the^ 

 subject the broader the field for in- 

 vestigation. The careful observer 

 while working with his bees often 

 may be able to accomplish greater re- 

 sults with less labor. 



In the last 50 years we have made 

 wonderful progress, but we should not 

 think we have reached the goal. 

 There is plenty of room for advance- 

 ment. This will come about through 

 careful observing bee-keepers — those 

 that work in harmony with the 

 natural laws governing our pursuit. 



To discuss this question in an in- 

 telligent manner it will be necessary 

 to start at some time during the sea- 

 son and show the use we make of the 

 ' hive for the whole year. After our 



colonies are on the summer stands it 

 is the most important time of the 

 whole season's work to bring our coi- ; 

 onies up to the desired strength. 



And now I wish to show you where 

 the eight-frame brood nest has some 

 advantage over the twelve. The bees 

 as well as Qurselves are subject to 

 the conditions of the weather, and 

 these outside conditions are beyond 

 our control. You place a man in a 

 small room with a stove just large 

 enough to keep the room in a com- 

 fortable condition. If a few feet in 

 length were added to this room, the 

 result would be this: he would suffer 

 with the cold unless he drew heavily 

 upon the fuel. Just so with a colony 

 of bees; they give off hut a certain 

 amount of heat, sufficient to keep the 

 colony in the small hive comfortable, 

 but in the large hive it is necessary 

 to draw from their stores; an extra 

 amount of fuel must be consumed to 

 Heep up the desired temperature, and 

 all this is at the expense of the vital- 

 ity of the bees. That is the point. 



Take two colonies with equal stores 

 the first of November. Winter one in 

 the cellar with even temperature, the 

 other on its summer stand where it 

 is subject to all kinds of weather, and 

 you will find that colony will consume 

 about double the store the one wil' 

 wintered in the cellar. If there is n 

 difference of seven per colony, one 500 

 pounds there would be $250 worth of 

 honey saved just in the wintering. 



There are many things to take into 

 consideration in building up our col- 

 onies in the spring. As I have said, 

 the building up of our colonies in the 

 spring is the most important work 

 connected with our industry and many 

 conditions must be present in order 

 that a colony may make good prog- 

 ress. First, plenty of stores. The col- 

 ony with plenty of sealed honey will 

 fare far better during a severe cold 

 spell of weather than the colony with 

 scarcely any honey. Sealed honey is 

 to the bees what the stove' or furnace 

 is to the human family; it retains the 

 heat, keeping the temperature inside 

 of the hive in a more comfortable con- 

 dition. Second, we must have plenty 

 of healthy bees to furnish the warmth 

 and give support to the queen. We 

 should never believe the queen is the 

 mainspring of the colony. What good 

 is the mainspring to the watch with- 

 out power to run it, and what good 

 is the queen to the colony without 



