80 
BEE-CULTURE. 
place to bo filled. They can then all be put in position again 
and the hive placed over them. If an open space one-fourth 
or three-eighths of an inch is left between the sides of the hive 
and the frames, the bees will not generally build any combs 
in it, but use it as they do the spaces between the combs as 
a street or passage to go through. In this construction we 
have the simple box hive with all the combs movable, that 
they may be taken out aud put in at pleasure ; and if it is not 
desirable to do so they can be left untouched, and can be no 
harm to the bees. It is true that neither this or any other 
hive will make either honey or bees. But this gives the 
keeper an admirable opportunity for learning the internal 
operations of a hive of bees and the condition of any particu- 
lar stock at any time ; and then gives him an opportunity of 
controlling his bees according to his intelligence. No sys- 
tem of management will be permanently successful, except 
it be based on intelligence. Neither can a person be said to 
be a bee master until he can open a hive and handle the bees 
without dread. The formidableness of this operation disap- 
pears after a few judicious trials. It may be expected that 
the next generation will derive more benefit than the present 
from this new mode of managing bees, as superstitious notions 
will be eradicated and the intelligent mode of keeping bees 
become a habit. Thus, many of the bungling mishaps attend- 
ing a new mode will be avoided- By the use of this hive it 
may be ascertained certainly if the hive has lost its queen, 
and if so, the means of supplying another can easily be given. 
The presence of worms may be detected, and if found may 
easily be removed. The combs can be lifted out and honey 
poured into them to save a starving colony. A comb of honey- 
can be taken from one that can spare it and given to one that 
needs it. The contents can all be taken out of a hive and 
put in another while the old one is being repaired. When 
bees die in a hive they better admit of cleaning the combs to 
save for a swarm; they are most convenient for cutting out 
the old combs ; they admit of cutting out the drone combs 
and putting in empty pieces of worker comb to prevent rear- 
ing too many drones. When it is desired to get the bees out 
of any other kind of hive, they admit of transferring both combs 
and bees to the new hive; they admit of conveniently uuiting 
two very weak stocks; they are very convenient for making 
artificial swarms. These advantages are not all peculiar to 
