_Borodino, N. Y._, Sept. 13, 1870.
* * * * *
Pösel says that if a colony has suffered from hunger for twenty-four
hours, the fertility of the queen will be greatly impaired, and never be
recovered.
* * * * *
All futures are possible to Young Samson. The lion in his path he
throttles, turning his carcass into a bee-hive.
[For the American Bee Journal.]
The Hive Question.
This question has again been revived for discussion in the Journal, and
several of our patentees and vendors have made pretty free use of its
columns for “blowing” their particular inventions and wares. Prominent
among them is Mr. J. H. Thomas; and as I have had some experience with
his hive, I wish to have my say about it in particular, and other hives
in general. Mr. T. has gotten up a neat and substantial hive, and has
admirably adapted the use of frames to the old form of the common
box-hive--tall in proportion to its length and breadth. The frames are
fixed in their relation to each other, but are as easily moved
laterally, when desired, as the frames of any other hive. As there are
only eight frames, they can be taken out and examined, when looking for
queens, &c., quicker than can be done with hives containing a greater
number of frames, and this seems to be considered by some as of great
importance. But I do not consider facilities for looking up queens, the
most important requisite of a good hive; and I find in the fact of its
having so few frames a very serious objection. In order to have the
proper number of square inches of comb in a few frames, they have to be
made comparatively large, which is the case with these. The frames are
so large that, in very hot weather, when the hive is exposed to the sun,
and the combs are full of honey, they break down and fall out of the
frames, making a very undesirable muss in the hive. I have had this to
happen repeatedly, even in his “double wall self protecting hive,” so
called, with all the ventilation that could be given it. By the way, he
has lately made a change in the ventilation, by enlarging the entrance
(an improvement) and by closing the inch and hole covered with wire
cloth, in the bottom board, and making another in the back and about an
inch above the bottom board. I do not know which is according to
“scientific principles,” and whether an improvement or not. It is true
this breaking down of combs might be prevented by shading the hive; but
the “best hive in America” ought not to require this, as we do not
always want our hives shaded. There are several other minor objections
to Mr. T.’s hives, but a still more important one will be mentioned
presently.
Five years ago Mr. T.’s hive might have been considered a very good one,
but “the world moves,” and no single department has made greater strides
of progress in the last ten years than apiculture. His, and all similar
hives, lack one important feature to make it adapted to the present
wants of all progressive bee-keepers. No hive should now claim
perfection without being easily provided with extra frames for surplus
honey to be used in the honey extractor, and these frames should be of
the same size as those in the body of the hive. It should be well
adapted to the use of the division board, with room at side or ends for
surplus frames, or be easily and conveniently converted into a two-story
hive, with frames in the upper story the same size as below.--Tall
hives with large frames are not well adapted to this purpose. The
two-story Langstroth works well. Mr. Gallup’s and Mr. Truesdell’s style
of hives can be easily arranged with additional frames at each end, or
on top, or both. Now, I do not say that any and every hive thus arranged
is perfect, but that no hive should lay claim to being the most perfect
hive made, without being adapted to such an arrangement; for it is
important to give for the breeding capacity of the queen, and to furnish
a sufficient amount of empty combs for the accumulated workers, and
thereby obtain the greatest yield of honey with the extractor, or
without it.
Besides “puffs” of particular hives, we have numerous articles on
general principles to be observed in their construction--some approving
and some condemning the shallow form of the Langstroth hive. In the
August number, Mr. J. W. Seay pitches into the shallow hives on general
principles and preconceived theories. Now, theories do well enough for
fine talk, and are good when substantiated by facts. But facts are the
things for the practical man, and one fact is worth a dozen theories.
Mr. S.’s theory and deductions therefrom, in regard to the production of
early brood, I do not find confirmed in my experience and observation;
and the facts of the case warrant a very different conclusion. A tall
hive is thought best for wintering out doors, for we know the bees will
place their stores above them when there is room. We know, also, that
they do not cluster on the honey, but below it, and the heat from them
ascends and makes their stores more accessible in cold weather. But how
is it with the breeding early in the season? Mr. S. says, “the bees in
order to hatch brood as the weather becomes warm in the spring, will
cluster at the larvæ end of said combs, &c. Now what he means by the
“larvæ” end of the comb, I do not exactly know. If he intends to say
that they cluster at the bottom of the brood comb, so that the heat will
ascend and warm up the upper part of the brood comb for the extension of
brood, facts do not warrant the assertion; for it is well known that
bees do not commence breeding at the lower end of the comb, except in a
very rare case, when they have had the hive full of honey and have
consumed none or only very little during the winter. As a general thing,
they commence breeding near the centre, and frequently in the upper part
of the hive. I have known them, in the Thomas’ hive, to commence
breeding within two inches of the top bar, with plenty of honey at the
sides. Now, when breeding is commenced near the top, the extension of
brood in a tall hive must be chiefly downward--away from the heat
generated in the cluster, instead of towards it. And for this reason, as
the warmth of the cluster will be diffused laterally more readily than
it will extend downwards, more rapid breeding will be induced in the
shallow hive than in the deep one. This accords exactly with the facts
of the case. If Mr. S. only means that the bees cluster on the larvæ and
around it, he is correct; but this does not alter the conclusion. In
stating that the bees will cluster and commence breeding in one end of
the low hives, leaving the other end empty and cold, Mr. S. does not
fairly state the case. They generally cluster near the centre of the
hive, and the heat will radiate towards both ends.
But, we have had enough of theory. How stand the facts? I have had Mr.
Thomas’ hive--one of the best of the tall ones, and the Langstroth hive,
side by side, for several years. Last winter I prepared eight of each
kind for wintering on their summer stands, somewhat similar to the plan
recommended by Mr. Langstroth. In the latter part of the winter one
colony in a Langstroth hive was lost, not from any fault of the hive,
but from my carelessness. At the opening of the spring, a thorough
examination was made of each hive, with the following comparison:
_First_--loss of honey was about alike in each kind; some of each had
nearly exhausted their stores, while others of each kind had more than
enough, so that when equalized all had plenty. _Second_--loss of bees:
In the Langstroth hives this was light. In four of them a spoonful of
dead bees could not be found. The other three had a few dead bees. In
one of the Thomas’ hives no dead bees were found. In two others not a
great many, but more than in the worst of the Langstroth hives. The
other five had a great many dead bees. The colonies were much
reduced--one to a mere handful, with frames and hive badly soiled with
their discharges, had to unite it with another hive. The T. hive that
had no dead bees, was in a fence corner, nearly buried in snow all
winter. _Third_--mould on combs. In all the Thomas’ hives there was more
or less mould, except one. No mould in any of the Langstroth hives.
_Fourth_--quantity of brood. _Decidedly the most in the Langstroth
hives, at the time of the examination, and it increased faster, and they
swarmed earlier than the tall hives._ My first swarms came from the flat
hives every season. It may be said that the colonies in the flat hives,
having lost only few bees in the winter, were stronger and would
generate heat and naturally increase faster, and swarm earlier from this
cause. I grant it; but one of the tall hives lost no bees, and was very
strong, and yet did not breed as rapidly as the other.--I make this
statement without favor or partiality. I expected a different result. I
have no hives--patented or unpatented, no territory, or interest in any
patent, to sell.
I have made a hive on the plan of Mr. Gallup and Mr. Truesdell; which I
believe possesses many advantages, and is capable of being used more
ways, with the same size frame for all the different styles, than any
hive I have seen described. The brood apartment is the plain box of Mr.
Gallup--eleven inches wide, fourteen inches deep, eighteen inches long,
or as much longer as may be desired. The frames are hung across the
narrow way. I have given greater depth and less width than my model,
because I wanted to winter out-doors, and because I wanted to use the
same frames-in a non-swarmer, with two tiers of boxes at sides. We can
use this hive--1st. as a simple frame hive, with large room on top for
surplus boxes.--2d. By extending the length to any desired number of
frames, frames for surplus honey may be put in each end, for emptying
with the extractor.--3d. It can be easily made a two-story hive, with
frames in the upper story the same size as in the lower one.--4th. By
having movable side-boards, it may be made a non-swarmer on Mr. Quinby’s
and Mr. Alley’s principle, and piles of honey boxes may be put on the
sides and top. I have one made this way with thirteen frames, sixteen
five pound boxes form the sides, and three twelve pound boxes on top,
all enclosed in a suitable case. This is made somewhat like Mr. Alley’s
hive; but I think is better than his. To avoid one extreme--the flat
form, he has gone to the other, and has his hive too tall and too
narrow. From all that I have read from our best German and American
writers on the subject, I think I have hit the “golden mean” of width
and depth. The great beauty of it is that the same frame can be used in
all the different styles; and that we may have a variety of hives with
but one size of frame.
I call this hive, with its non-swarming and box arrangement, the
“QUINQUEPLEXAL-DUPLEX-COMBINATION-NON-PATENTED-SUPERFLUOUS-HONEY-PRODUCING-HIVE.”
It is said “there is nothing in a name,” but if I could only get friend
Price’s “_Reversible-Revolvable_” attachment, with the privilege of
adding the name, there would be considerable improvement in adopting
this compellation for the modified arrangement.