182 miner's AMERICAN 



size of hives, I have demonstrated certain requisites, that 

 every hive should possess. 



Firstly, hives should be of such a size as nature will 

 admit the bees to keep full, and yet have room enough 

 to perform every ramification of their labors to the best 

 advantage. 



Secondly, facility to be afforded the bees in ascending 

 to the supers. If we have long and narrow hives, the 

 bees find much more difliculty in forcing their way 

 loaded, through a long space crowded with bees, than 

 they would through a less space. This is so reasonable, 

 that the mere avowal of it is convincing ; consequently, 

 we must give a more compact form to our hives, and 

 shorten the distance to the supers as much possible, and 

 not interfere with any other principle of management. 



Thirdly, the supers should be so arranged, that the 

 honey stored therein, may be taken with the greatest 

 possible facility. Every apiarian is aware, that most of 

 the hives now in use, do not offer the facility of perform- 

 ing this operation, that is desirable. It is true, that with 

 a bee-dress, the removal of the boxes is not attended 

 with any particular trouble, unless it be in the chamber- 

 hives, where the boxes are a tight fit, and are hard to 

 loosen from their positions ; but everything should be so 

 arranged, that the bees will receive little or no disturb- 

 ance. It is not the mere operation of removing supers, 

 at the time that it is being performed, that we should look 

 to. If we irritate the bees, they will not forget it for 

 several days ; and when we do not expect it, one may 

 plant its sting in our face ; saying, as it were, " there^ 



