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 sulHcient 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 Qulnby 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 13, and the Gallup 14. 



312. We know that many Apiarists objectf to these fig- 

 ures, because they succeed, and harvest good crops, with 



* It is UDquestionalile 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? 



t It is perhaps necesBary 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 succeasfal 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 . 



