HIVES. 
43 
APT TO DECEIVE. 
Yet I can imagine how one can be deceived by such 
a small hive, and recommend it strongly ; especially 
if patented. Suppose you locate a large swarm in a 
hive near the size of Dr. Bevan’s; the bees would 
occupy nearly all the room with brood-combs ; now 
if you put on boxes, and as soon as filled put on 
empty ones, the amount of surplus honey would be 
great ; very satisfactory for the first summer, but in 
a year or two your little hive is gone. This result 
will be in proportion as we enlarge our hives, until 
we arrive at the opposite extreme. 
UNPROFITABLE IF TOO LARGE. 
If too large, more honey will be stored than is requir- 
ed for their winter use. It is evident a portion might 
have been taken, if it had been stored in boxes. The 
swarms will not be proportionably large when they do 
issue, which is seldom — but there is this advantage, they 
last a long time, and are but little profit in surplus 
honey, or swarms. 
CORRECT SIZE BETWEEN TWO EXTREMES. 
Between the two extremes, like most other cases, is 
found the correct place. A hive twelve inches square, 
each way, inside, has been recommended as the cor- 
rect size. Here are 1728 cubic inches. This, I think, 
is sufficient for many places, as the queen probably 
has all the room necessary for depositing her eggs ; and 
as the swarms are more numerous, and nearly as large 
