152 THE BEE-HIVES. 
As the harvest of honey is always in proportion to the 
number of bees in the hive, and as a large colony requires 
no more labor from the Apiarist than a small one, the hive 
should afford the queen sufficient space to deposit all the 
eggs, which she is able to lay* during twenty-one days, the’ 
average time for an egg to be transformed into a worker. 
Besides, it should contain a certain amount of food, honey 
and pollen. 
310. We have seen before (97) that a good queen can 
lay 3,500 eggs per day in the good season, so that 73,500 
cells may be occupied with brood at one time. If we add 
to this number about 20,000 cells for the provisions needed 
in the breeding season, we have about 94,000 cells as the 
number required for a strong colony. As every square inch 
of comb contains about 55 cells (217), 27 to 28 on each 
side, the combs of a hive should measure over 1,700 square 
inches. This space must, of course, allow of contraction, 
according to the needs of the colony, by what is called mov- 
able division boards. (349.) 
311. If the reader will refer to the dimensions of frames 
given (298), he will ascertain that as a Quinby frame 
measures 189 square inches inside, a hive should contain at 
least 9 of these frames. 
As the Standard Langstroth-Simplicity frame measures 
about 149 square inches, the hive must contain 12 frames. 
The American frames must number 12, and the Gallup 14. 
312. We know that many Apiarists object} to these fig- 
ures, because they succeed, and harvest good crops, witb 
* It is unquestionable that the quality of a queen depends on the quantity 
of eggs that she is able to lay. Then why limit her, by using hives so narrow 
that she cannot develop her fertility? 
+ It is perhaps necessary to say here, that we have found more opposition on 
this subject than on any other, especially in the bee-papers. But we take this 
opportunity of again energetically asserting that our preference for large hives 
is based on a successful practice of more than twenty years, with several hun- 
dred colonies in different sized hives, while our opponents could bring forward 
nothing but their preconceived ideas. 
