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tunate that the eight frame hive is the one in common use in 

 Iowa. While the eight frame hive is good in the hands of an 

 expert comb honey producer, the larger hive is much better for 

 the average person with only a few colonies managed largely on 

 the let alone plan. 



The writer 's hives are of the eight frame size and considerable 

 difficulty is sometimes encountered to get enough honey into a 

 single hive body to insure sufficient stores for wintering outside. 

 Best results in wintering have been secured by wintering the 

 colonies in two hive bodies, one above the other, and leaving 

 about ten or fifteen pounds more honey than seemed necessary. 

 Two hives are then placed side by side close together in a dry 

 goods box of one inch limber. The dry goods stores and the 

 clothing stores get a number of boxes every fall, just about the 

 right size to pack two hives in. A few boxes are large enough 

 for packing three side by side (Fig. 6.) These do not give as 

 good satisfaction, for the bees from the hive in the middle seem 

 to go into the hives on either side until the colony which is most 

 favored as far as warmth is concerned, comes through the win- 

 ter rather weak from loss of deserting bees. 



The advantage in using the dry goods box lies in the lower cost 

 and less labor in getting it ready for a packing case. Sufficient 

 lumber to make such a case would cost three or four times as 

 much as is paid for the boxes. They need so little alteration that 

 but a few minutes is necessary to make one over. As will be 

 seen by fig. 7, a four inch board is removed in front of the en- 

 trance and turned inside the box to prevent the packing from 

 dropping down in front. On warm days the bees are free to fly. 

 Dry leaves are used for packing and about four inches of space 

 is filled all round the hives and usually about six or eight inches 

 over the top. As the hives are two stories high the bees have 

 an abundance of room for spring brood rearing. 



As before stated, the writer leaves about ten or fifteen pounds 

 more honey in the hives in the fall than it is expected will be 

 needed for wintering. With this surplus in the hive in spring, 

 and the hives protected from the cold winds by the packing they 

 need not be opened until the beginning of the honey flow. Col- 

 onies opened for the first time about May 1, have been found to 

 he full of brood and honey from fruit bloom, and surprisingly, 

 queen cells were started in preparation for swarming. At the 

 same time colonies, without protection were making slow prog- 

 ress toward building up. It is very apparent that such colonies 

 as described on May 1 are worth considerable, as honey gatherers 

 during the clover flow. If the colonies reach such a condition 

 early enough it is possible to divide them and to get two col- 

 onies in pretty good condition by the time the honey flow really 



