72 HIVES. 



the Lives alike is great, and to change all would involve 

 an undesirable expense. I will notice some of the dif- 

 ferent forms, and the reader may decide for himself, which, 

 under the circumstances, suits him best, and let this be an 

 answer to all who would write me to inquire which I con- 

 sider the best hive. 



With the shape of the hive, and arrangement of the 

 frames, I am satisfied. The depth is all that the comb 

 will sustain when filled with honey, and the greater length 

 of each requires a less number to fill the hive. The bees 

 will store the back end with honey, and rear their brood 

 in the front end, and use nearly every comb for both pur- 

 poses. This is the rule in properly managed stocks. 

 When winter approachea, there are empty cells in the 

 front end, and honey enough in the Other, to last through 

 the cold weather, without obliging the bees to change 

 from one comb to another to obtain it. They have only 

 to move backward as the honey is consumed, on the same 

 principle that they would move upward, in a hive deeper 

 from top to bottom than from front to back. I would not 

 have these frames the longest way up and down for two 

 reasons. Firstly, you could not raise a frame 20 inches in 

 length out of the hive and return it, vt'ithout hitting the 

 sides occasionally, and arousing the bees. Secondly, there 

 would be too httle room on the top for tlie boxes. When 

 horizontal, there is one-third more room on the top for 

 this purpose. Most of these movable comb hives are 

 nearly square, which shape does not suit me. Some of 

 them have ten or twelve frames, seven or eight inches in 

 depth, by fourteen or fifteen in length. Towards fall, 

 only a part of these, in the middle of the hive, will contain 

 brood ; the outside combs are filled throughout with 

 honey. The middle combs contain but little, and the bees 

 begin the winter here. If they are in the cold, and con- 

 sume the little honey there is in these centre combs, they 



