January 31, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
95 
to increase the number of bis stocks, but rather to obtain as 
large an amount of surplus honey as possible. To attain this 
desirable end many praiseworthy efforts have been made, and 
eminent apiarians have devoted much time and attention to it. 
The result, so far as my own experience goes, is that though 
much can be done to lessen the chances of sw arming, no plan 
which has yet been made public can be relied upon in all seasons 
and under all the various conditions in which we find our bees at 
the time. 
Atmospheric influences have much to do with it, and it net 
unfrequently happens that the excitement caused by giving 
additional supers cr removing sections will start a swarm off. 
To talk about overhauling hives at regular intervals and 
removing queen cells so as to prevent swarming, is altogether 
out of the question; no experienced bee-keeper would entertain 
the idea for a moment, on account of the trouble and worry 
involved. Confining queens to a particular part of the hive 
sounds well in theory, but in practice it does not as a rule 
succeed; so that after all, if we give timely room, plenty of 
ventilation, shade, and keep our hives as cool as possible when 
swarming is likely to take place, the chances are ten to tne in 
wood quilt only is 
from their usual place, and the folding 
shown. 
If the weather is hot at the time and the season not too far 
advanced, give a second crate of sections over the frames of 
foundation (with excluder zinc between to keep the queen down 
in the body of the hive). By this plan we give the returned 
swarm plenty of congenial work in comb-building, and the 
second stock, which receives the combs of brood, has the well- 
known advantage of “ doubling ” given to it, so that after the 
brood has hatched out honey can be regularly slung from the 
combs without inteifering with the sections at work on the same 
hive. 
Spacing Frames. —We have been asked for our opinion cn 
distance pins and broad shoulders for frames, as a prominent 
bee-keeper has lately been giving his views cn what he believes 
to be the best hive, and says, no doubt with perfect sincerity— 
“ I use no distance pins, broad or under shoulders, as guides, as 
I can manipulate much quicker without them.” We cannot 
understand by what method bees can possibly be manipulated in 
bar frames much quicker, when the regulating of the distance 
between each frame has to be attended to every time it is 
replaced, than if the form of the top bar was such 
that the frames regulated themselves. To make the 
matter clear—on opening a hive the first thing re¬ 
quired is a little lateral space, so that combs covered 
thickly with bees may be lifted up freely without 
crushing. In our hive there is an inch play at the 
end, so we draw the divider back to the side of 
the hive without raising it, and we have the lateral 
space at once. If we wish to inspect a centre comb 
the intervening ones are drawn back close to the 
divider, not singly, but all at once, and they are 
replaced in the same way. In going over combs, 
each one after inspection is set in the hive again 
close to the divider nearest the operator, and when 
all have been examined one movement pushes frames 
and divider into their original position. If this is 
not much quicker than replacing frames one by 
one and regulating the distances between each as 
we go on, we are at a loss to know how the apiarian 
works. With broad-shouldered frames working on 
metal runners propolisation is never an incon¬ 
venience; with narrow top bars working in a rabbet 
it is an intolerable nuisance, as the bees have access 
to the whole of the space on which the frames 
should slide, and propolise it to such an extent that 
it sometimes runs down the very walls of the hive 
inside. This was one of our great objections to 
the use of the original Carr-Stewarton hive, which 
is made exactly on the same principle. 
Conclusion. —The “ Art of Bee-keeping ” has 
been recently so fully treated of in the columns of 
the Journal of Horticulture by Mr. Raitt, that it 
would be a useless repetition 
well covered by the 
“ Notes ” we have 
which the peculiar 
for us to go over 
articles alluded to. 
briefly referred to 
construction of our 
Fig. 15.—Thj Broughton-Carr Hive. 
favour of success; and if (as in some seasons when a perfect 
swarming mania seems to take possession of the bees) if, as we 
tay, swarms persist in issuing from hives with half-filled supers, 
•they should be accepted and made the most of. 
With the hive specially treated of in these papers, the 
following method of dealing with a swarm when increase of 
stocks is not desired will give a very satisfactory result. Hive 
the swarm in a skep as usial and place it close to the hive 
from which it issued. Remove nine frames of brood from the 
•swarmed hive into a spare frame box, and after cutting out all 
queen cells and di’oue brood, > ive them to a second stock (which 
may be supposed to be already supered with a crate of sections) 
give frames of foundation in exchange for the brood com! s taken 
-away, and cover with the wood quilt only. Cut out all queen 
■cells from the remaining nine combs, and while the sections are 
off, to enable the operator to do this, overhaul them and remove 
all that are completed, substituting empty ones instead. In the 
•evening return the swarm to the parent hive by knocking out 
the bees on to the flight board as described on page 458 last 
'volume. To make the illustration (fig. 15) as instructive and 
pflain as possible to amateurs, the thick hair quilts are omitted 
ground so 
In these 
details in 
hive gives what we consider special advantages, so 
that in concluding our observations we may be 
allowed to summarise what has, we fear, been a 
somewhat disjointed statement of our experiences in designing 
what we consider to be the best hive for all purposes. 
We have not taken into account the wants of a bee farm, 
and we have utterly ignored the interests of the British bee 
farmer (a mythical personage, often heard of but never seen). 
It is offered to British bee-keepers, who constitute the bulk of 
our apiarians, and whose stock seldom consists of more than 
half a dozen hives. These should be of good make, not worthless 
makeshift ones. They should give to the ordinary amateur bee¬ 
keeper the readiest way of making the most of our short honey 
season. Tlie brood nest should be capable of enlargement or 
contraction with a minimum amount of trouble, and the brood 
combs should be accessible without disturbing supers. Spare 
frames should have a place to keep them in during winter, and 
doubling be possible without requiring an extra hive for the 
purpose. To the advanced bee-keeper the hive should be easily 
adapted for queen-rearing and nucleus requirements, and we 
confidently assert that the time and labour expended on a hive 
of our pattern will be well repaid in the possession of a 
thoroi^ghly good bee habitation, which will answer every con¬ 
tingency that may arise; while for facility in hiving swarms, 
bu lding up stocks in spring, superiug, doubling, ike., and for 
warmth in winter and ventilation in summer it is all that can be 
desired.—W. B. C., Higher Behivgton, Cheshire. 
