MANUAL OV THE APIARY. 123 



To be sure of success, the apiarist must be able to inspect 

 the whole interior of the hive at his pleasure, must be able 

 to exchange combs from one hive to another, to regulate the 

 movements of the bees : by destroying queen-cells, by giving 

 or withholding drone-comb, by extracting the honey, by intro- 

 ducing queens, and by many other manipulations to be 

 explained, which are only practicable with a movable-frame 

 hive. 



MOVABLE-COMB HIVES. 



There are, at present, two types of the movable-comb hive 

 in use among us, each of which is unquestionably valuable, 

 as each has advocates among our most intelligent, successful 

 and extensive apiarists. Each, too, has been superseded by 

 the other, to the satisfaction of the person making the change. 

 The kind most used consists of a box, in which hang the 

 frames which hold the combs. The adjacent frames are so far 

 .separated that the combs, which just fill them, shall be the 

 proper distance apart. In the other kind, the frames are 

 wider than the comb, and when in position are close together, 

 and of themselves form two sides of a box. When in use, 

 these frames are surrounded by a second box, without a bot- 

 tom, which, with them, rests on a. bottom board. Each of 

 these kinds is represented by various forms, sizes, etc., where 

 the details are varied to suit the apiarist's notion. Yet, I 

 believe that all hives in present use, worthy of recommenda- 

 tion, fall within one or the other of the above named types. 



THE LANGSTROTH HIVE. 



This (Fig. 29) is the hive most in use among Americans 

 and Britons, if not among all who practice improved apicul- 

 ture. It is stated that the late Major Munn was first to invent 

 this style of hive. He states (see Bevan, p. 37) that he first 

 used it in 1834. But, as suggested by Neighbour in his 

 valuable hand-book, the invention was of no avail to apiarists, 

 as it was either unknown, or else ignored by practical men. 

 This invention also originated independently with Rev. L. L. 

 Langstroth, who brought it forth in 1851, so perfect, that it 

 needed scarce any improvement ; and for this gift, as well as 

 his able researches in apiculture, as given in his invaluable 



