60 HIVES. 



the upper or chamber for the boxes. Its merit is, that 

 the chamber affords all- necessary protection for glass 

 boxes, and is a permanent cover. Its demerits are : it is 

 inconvenient to handle, it occupies too much room when 

 put in the house for winter, and only one end of the boxes 

 can be seen when on the hive. They can not be properly 

 examined without taking them off, and thus disturbing the 

 bees. 



SUSPENDED HrVE. 



The suspended hive may effectually exclude the mice, 

 and answer all the purposes for which it was designed, 

 but there are evils originating in this very advantage that 

 may counterbalance it. The inconvenience of inspecting 

 the hive at any time may induce a habit of neglect that is 

 often fatal to success. When all the cares of an apiary 

 are as light as possible, there is too great neglect of duty ; 

 hence necessary attention should be as little burdensome 

 as possible. 



INCLINED BOTTOM BOARD. 



The inclined bottom board for rolling out the worms — 

 the basis of several patents — may be said to be an utter 

 failure. Worms are not disposed of so easily, for when 

 one drops from the comb, if it ever does, it has a thread 

 attached above, by which it may climb to its former posi- 

 tion. Should it be dead when it falls, or so cold that it 

 can not spin a thread, a strong wind might shake it off — 

 and what then ? The objections to this are the same as 

 to the suspended hive. They are a damage to whoever 

 uses them, aside from the expense of right and construction. 



DIVrOLNG HIVE. 



The dividing hive was constructed to multiply stocks at 

 pleasure. The fact that bees would rear a queen to replace 



