CHAPTER IX. 
BEE HIVES. 
“The value of a hive t/epent/s upon i/s size, shape, and 
the advantages secured in its construction ." — King. 
Proper Size. — A hive should hold about 2000 cubic 
inches, or nearly one bushel, dry measure, in the breed- 
ing apartment, with from 800 to 1000 cubic inches in 
the surplus honey receptacle. Upon the size of a hive, 
a large number of careful experiments have been made 
by the best bee-keepers of all nations, and nearly all 
seem to agree on the above dimensions ; during these 
experiments, it has been ascertained that if larger, the 
swarms are less in number, and if smaller, the swarms 
will be smaller, and stocks will frequently fail to lay up 
enough provision for a long winter. 
A hive of the above size will give, under proper 
management, a steady increase of bees with a fair 
amount of surplus honey. 
