90 
THE AUSTRALIAN BEE KEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
the bees to work and store more honey ? What 
would it lead to should the beginner follow 
‘‘ Apis’ ’’ advice and work his bees contrary to 
their natural habits ! 
The long shallow frame is an absolute 
necessity for a hive that opens at the top only, 
and it is used in the Langs troth hive, as 
“ Apis ” has shown. He also states that it is 
more easily manipulated, with less risk of 
injuring bees, queens or queen cells, thus 
admitting that there is risk by lifting the 
frames out, and if the frames were taller the 
risk would be greater. He finds the brood- 
room of the Langstroth hive quite small 
enough, and would not advise the use of a 
smaller one, which is proof to me that he 
keeps the black and hybrid bees, which are 
mi re for swarming and breeding even in the 
honey season. If he had the young Italians, 
in the first season he would find that even the 
brood chamber in a Berlepsch hive is large 
enough for the extent of their brood. 1 keep 
the Italian bees only. That a single halt- 
story surplus part of the Langstroth hive is 
not sufficient, only' shows that taking its honey 
is not an easy matter, or why should a prac- 
tical beeman require two or three stories as 
long as he can take the full combs away with 
ease, and since he has the useful extractor ? 
Two stories give room for nearly loOlbs. of 
honey, three stories for over 2001bs., and as 
the broodroom is not altogether used for 
brood, there is room for at least 50lbs. of honey; 
thus a two-story hive gives room for about 
200lbs., a three-story hive for about 3001bs. of 
honey. Now every practical beeman knows 
that even in the sunny Australia the average 
yield of honey from each hive in a season is 
about 100 to 1 501bs , and if this is the result, 
every reasonable beeman ought to be satisfied ; 
therefore I could not see why there should be 
room provided for 50 to loOlbs. more, which 
would not be gathered. Moreover, it is not 
at all wise to leave all the honey in the hive 
till the end of the season as long as the full 
comb can be removed and extracted Or, would 
“Apis” make beginners believe that he has 
to empty his two or three stories several times 
in a season, so that bis yield of honey must be 
about lOOOlbs. a hive average ? It is also 
proved that, if the weather is suitable for the 
increase of brood, and a colony has the desire 
to swarm, no extent of room will prevent them 
from so doing; they will swarm and leave (even 
if ten stories were put one over the other) 
emptiness. 
The bees in my hives breed very fast in 
spring, but decrease their brood as soon as 
plenty of honey is to be gathered, thus filling 
the four or five frames near the door from top to 
bottom with honey, then they ascend in the 
honey chamber. When the latter is nearly 
built out with comb, I take the full frames 
from the brood-room and replace empty ones 
instead. As soon as the bees have nearly all 
the honey-chamber built with comb, they go on 
filling them, and when they commence sealing 
the outside of the last comb, I take the inside 
ones away and place the last one in first, thus 
leaving them a start. Sections are worked the 
same. When the honey-room is nearly built 
out again, I empty once more the brood-room, 
then again the honey-room, and so on, until the 
season is over The sections do not become 
dark, not being too long in the hive; and 
the honey for extracting is not as tough as it 
would be, had it to remain in the hive till the 
end of the season. From the brood-room I take 
each time 25 to 30lbs., and the same from the 
honey-room. I hope the beginner, as well as 
the experienced beeman, will clearly under- 
stand that such a method of management is 
superior to the one indicated by “ Apis." 
That my conclusion in preferring the 
Berlepsch hive is not without foundation, is 
in one particular at least proved by ‘‘ Propolis,” 
who says that Mr. Carroll sends bees, all the 
frames being screwed down, to prevent moving, 
killing bees, &c. In the Berlepsch no such 
screwing down the frames is necessary, for 
they travel safely without ; and again, under 
“Useful Hints" article, “Frame Spacing,” 
in No. 6, the value of frame spacing is 
shown. This frame spacing is provided and 
indeed invented with the Berlepsch hive and 
| frame. It is only an imitation in the Langstroth 
hive, and will’ never answer as well as the 
Berlepsch hive. W. ABRAM, 
Manager Italian Bee Company, 
Parramatta, N.S.W., 8th July, 1886. 
The Berlepsch Hive. 
[To the Editor of the Beekeepers' Journal.) 
Mr. Editor,— I think there is a little mis- 
understanding existing between Mr. Abram 
and Mr. Chas. Full wood, and, as I think I am 
able to clear away this, I should like to say a 
little on this subject. A few years ago, one of 
the reporters of the Leader visited my apiary, 
and when he saw my hives he said that my 
hives were all wrong, and he stated that Mr 
Abram’s Berlepsch hives were far superior. 
As I never before had seen a Berlepsch hive, 
I asked him if he would get me one of these 
I hives from Mr. Abram. He replied in the 
affirmative, and not long after I received one 
of these hives from Mr. Abram, made of 
Californian pine. When I saw it at first, I at 
once concluded it would not do as well for me 
for several reasons. One reason is this, its 
very construction indicates that it cannot stand 
outside in a garden without a covering in a 
Victorian winter. We had now for two weeks 
