THE HIVE, AND HOW TO HANDLE IT
THE BROOD-CHAMBER
The essential parts of a hive are the following: A bottom board, the
first story, or brood-chamber, containing frames for the support of the
combs, and a cover. When extracted honey is to be produced, a second
story like the first may be placed between it and the cover; when it
is desired to have the surplus honey stored in section-boxes, one or
more shallow stories containing the section-boxes are placed above the
brood-chamber; these shallow stories are known as the supers.
Formerly the brood-chamber was a mere cubiform box with two horizontal
cross-pieces passing through the centre at right angles to each other
for the support of the combs. Sometimes the bee-keeper furnished the
bees with a hive made from a section of a hollow log, with a board
nailed over one end for a cover, or the hollow log was placed in a
horizontal position. Such a hive was known as a “bee-gum,” probably
because it was often made from the trunk of a gum tree; but the
bee-gums with which we were familiar in our childhood were made from
hollow basswood logs.
To-day in every well-regulated apiary the brood-chamber is furnished
with the movable hanging frames for the support of the combs, which
were invented by Langstroth a half-century ago, or by some modification
of these frames. It was the invention of these frames that made
the science of modern bee-keeping possible. A large part of the
manipulations of the hive is dependent upon the ability to remove the
combs from the hive separately. Two of these frames, one empty and one
containing a sheet of foundation, are shown in Plate XII. These are of
one of the newer styles, known as the Hoffman self-spacing frames. In
these frames the upper part of the end-bars are wide, so that, when the
frames are in contact, there is room for a bee-way between the combs;
the lower part of the end-bars are narrower, so that the bees can pass
freely around the ends of the frames.
In the old days, and at present in some apiaries where home-made frames
are used, the spacing between the frames has to be done by eye or
rather by finger; the thickness of the tip of the finger between two
frames being necessary to afford a bee-way. But with the new frames
in the market to-day this is done away with, as they are arranged to
space themselves, thus relieving the novice of much anxiety and some
embarrassment in deciding whether his finger is as thick as that of the
average apiarist. Also in these newer frames a little staple at each
end of the top sets each frame exactly right in relation to the ends of
the hive.
Before the frame is placed in the brood-chamber it is to be supplied
with a sheet of comb-foundation; this insures the building of the comb
in the desired position, so the frames can be removed from the hive.
Bees do not naturally make their combs straight, but curve them so that
they are less likely to be broken. It is necessary, therefore, in order
to get straight combs to confine the operations of the bees within set
bounds; this is done by putting a sheet of foundation in each frame.
One of the attractions of bee-keeping is that much of the material we
work with is pleasing, and some artistically beautiful. A sheet of
foundation-comb made of the most delicate wax, frescoed on either side
with rhomb insets in hexagonal pattern, is a joy to the artistic eye.
It is absolutely necessary that the foundation should be put into the
frame in such a manner that it will not sag or bulge when it is built
out into the comb and filled with the heavy honey or brood. To keep
these large sheets from bulging and breaking they are held in place
by fine wire which is strung back and forth across the frame, passing
through holes made with a small awl in the end-bars. These holes should
be about two inches apart, the upper one one inch from the top bar, and
the lower one something less than an inch from the bottom bar, making
four wires in the Langstroth frame. After these holes are made, put a
small tack at one end near the lower hole, twist the wire around it,
then thread the wire back and forth, making four wires parallel with
the top and bottom bars, and fasten the wire with a tack; care should
be taken not to draw the wire too tightly; simply draw up the slack.
The sheets of foundation as sold by the dealers are a little smaller
than the space in the frame, so that when they are fastened to the top
bar a bee-space is left between the sheet and the bottom and end-bars.
See Plate XII.
The sheet of foundation is fastened to the top bar of an ordinary frame
by means of a Van Deusen wax-tube fastener, which is simply a hollow
tube that may be dipped in and filled with the hot wax which issues
through a small hole at the sharp, bent end of the tube; as the point
is drawn along where the foundation and frame meet it leaves a stream
of hot wax that seals the two together. However, the most satisfactory
way is to get brood-frames, like the Hoffman, which have two grooves
in the top bar. Set the foundation in the groove at the centre, and
introduce a strip of wood which is wedge-shaped in cross-section,
thin edge first, into the adjoining groove, driving it or pressing
it in hard so that it pushes the thin partition over, and wedges the
foundation firmly in place. These strips for wedging come with the
frames.
After the foundation is fastened to the top bar the frame and
foundation are laid, wire side up, on a board just the size of the
piece of foundation so that it will slip inside the frame. This
board is kept wet to prevent the wax from sticking to it. Then we
use the spur wire-embedder, which is like the tracing-wheel used by
dressmakers, except that the teeth are spread apart alternately so
that they pass astride the wire and press it down into the foundation;
to do this successfully, the foundation should be warm; working near
a lamp or in a warm room will suffice. Embedding the wires by heating
them with electricity instead of using the spur-embedder is a common
practice in large apiaries where electricity is available, or where it
pays to buy a battery with proper attachments. This outfit with the dry
cells costs about five dollars, and is a paying investment when the
apiary is large. (Plate III.)
THE SUPER
The super is that part of the hive that is placed above the
brood-chamber and is designed to receive the surplus honey, either comb
or extracted.
When extracted honey is produced the super may resemble the
brood-chamber described above, or it may not be so high, fitted
to receive a frame little more than half as deep as the standard
Langstroth frame used in the brood-chamber.
When comb-honey is produced, the super is only about half as high as
the brood-chamber. For this reason a hive consisting of a brood-chamber
and one super for comb-honey is termed a one-and-a-half-story hive.
(Plate XV.)
A complete super fitted for comb-honey consists of the following
parts: (1) The outer wall, which is of the same length and width
as the brood-chamber and of the right height to hold the style of
section-boxes used; on the lower side of each end a tin strip is
fastened to support the fixtures that it is to contain; (2) the
section-boxes; these are the wooden frames containing the comb-honey
when it is placed on the market; each holds about one pound of honey;
four of these are shown in the Plate XIV; (3) the section-holder; this
is a rack fitted to hold and support one row of section-boxes, as shown
in Plate XIV; when in place in the super, it rests on the strips of
tin mentioned above; (4) the fence; this is a device placed between
the rows of section-boxes to keep the bees from building the comb
beyond the edges of the section-boxes; the style used with the plain or
no-beeway section is shown in Plate III; the vertical cleats on this
fence provide for a bee-space between it and the section-boxes, so that
the bees can build out the comb even with the edge of the section-box;
(5) the super springs; these are three flat springs, fastened to the
inner face of one side-wall in such a way that they press the fences
and the section-boxes closely together. (Plate XII.)
There are several types of supers in use that differ, in certain
details, from the one described above. In some, the rows of
section-boxes and fences are pressed together by thumb-screws which
pass through one side-wall of the super. Many bee-keepers still use
section-boxes with beeways, that is, boxes having the top and bottom
narrower than the two sides. When such boxes are used, the fences lack
the vertical slats, or posts; in fact, a simple strip of tin may serve
as a fence.
Most of the section-boxes in use now are made of a single piece, which
is dovetailed at the ends and has three transverse V-shaped grooves cut
in one side so that it can be bent into shape, as shown in Plate II.
These flat basswood sections afford very pretty material with which
to work. The novice, in putting them together, almost always bends
them with grooves outside at the corners, instead of inside, and then
wonders why they are askew, and break. We wet the sections where they
are grooved before we begin working with them. This may be done by
brushing each individual flat with warm water, which is a very tedious
process; but it is better to take a handful of them as they lie, the
grooves all in a line, set them on edge and pour a little water from a
pitcher on the grooves. This wets many at a time with little trouble.
To set up a section, it should be taken in the hands, grooves up,
bend the ends upward evenly, fastening the dovetailed edges together
gently. Haste and jerkiness are as disastrous in handling sections as
in handling bees.
The foundation for the comb-sections is much lighter in weight than
that intended for the brood-frames. Some apiarists fill the entire
section with this foundation, except for the bee-spaces at the bottom
and at the sides. But we never do this, unless we are obliged to do
it to coax the bees to use the supers; for it is not so satisfactory
as to use a narrow strip for a guide at the top of the section, as a
starter to show the bees where to build the comb. We cut these strips
about an inch deep and almost as wide as the section, and, with the
Daisy fastener, fix each strip at just the middle line of the upper
bar of the section. The objection to filling a section with a complete
sheet is, first, the expense of the foundation; and, secondly, that
it is likely to give a tough central portion or “fish-bone” to the
comb-honey. (Plate XIV.)
HOW TO PREPARE THE SUPER
If they are not ordered set up ready for use, the supers come in flat
pieces with dovetailed ends, and putting them together is a pleasing
occupation, after one has learned how. The best way to learn how is
to carefully observe a super already properly set up; for, though the
directions for putting these together are as plain as may be, yet a
person may err therein and yet not be a fool. Unless one has learned,
or can learn, to drive a nail, one had best not undertake bee-keeping,
for the bee-keeper must become a carpenter to be successful; it adds
much to the interest of the occupation to make all sorts of things
for one’s own bees. The principle on which the super is built is that
it may hold the sections tightly in place, and not allow them to drop
through. Therefore, at the bottom of the super, along each narrower
end, is a tin strip to support the ends of the section-holders; to keep
the ends of the section-holders even a wedge-shaped strip of wood is
nailed across the end of the super, thick edge down and flush with the
bottom edge, resting against the tin strips. We use the Hetherington
super springs, one at each end and one at the middle of one side of the
super; the trick of putting these in is to set them opposite the
posts of the fence, one at either endpost, and one at the middle post,
else the spring will be of no use. Driving in the sharp end of this
spring successfully requires a little practice. The super is now ready
to be filled. (Plate XII.)
[Illustration: PLATE XII
(_a_) Two self-spacing frames; one of them fitted with a sheet of
foundation.
(_b_) An empty super, showing the springs and the wedge-shaped piece at
the end.
(_c_) The Doolittle division board feeder.]
[Illustration:
_Photograph by Brown Brothers_
PLATE XIII. EXAMINING THE BROOD-FRAMES]
First place a fence in the super on the side opposite the spring; then
a section-holder filled with four starters, always remembering that
these foundation-starters should be at the top of the section. Then
place another fence and another section-holder. The eight-frame super
will hold six of these rows, with fences between and one on each side.
Putting in the last fence is the final test of whether the springs are
in the right place, for, if they are right and press against the posts
of the fence, it will be very hard to push in this last fence; when it
is in, the sections are all held snugly in place. (Plates III, XV.)
Where the super is placed on the hive, it should closely fit the top
of the brood-chamber, with no cracks between. If the hive has a flat
cover, which leaves only a bee-space above the sections, the cover
may be placed immediately above the super, with nothing between. With
covers like the telescope cover, a super-cover is needed. This may be a
quilt or a piece of enamelled cloth; but we prefer a super-cover made
of a thin board, bound on the ends to prevent warping, which is now on
the market.
HOW TO HANDLE THE BEES
It is generally believed, and for good reasons, apparently, that bees
like some people and despise others, who are just as good, so far as
we can detect. This apparent capriciousness has been explained in many
ways. Some hold that the bees have a fine sense of smell, and thus
distinguish us by odours rather than by sight; and in this case their
ire is aroused because they do not like the perfume exhaled by the
obnoxious person. Others claim that it depends upon the movements; if
one moves nervously and quickly, he is much more subject to attacks.
It is certainly true that if a bee, which is buzzing threateningly, is
struck at, she becomes more enraged and is more certain to sting, but
this is because she recognises an aggressive foe because of the act.
However, the senior partner in our apiary is an exceedingly active and
nervous man, and I have seen him move with all haste and energy while
working with bees, and though he seldom uses bee-veil or gloves, he
is rarely stung. Our bees seem to be acquainted with him, and accept
his rapid movements as one of the common-places of bee existence. It
is well for anyone who wishes to work with bees to spend some time in
the bee-yard just watching the little citizens coming and going, and
listening to the peculiarly soothing hum which always fills the air
around the hives. It is sympathy with the bees more than actions that
finally results in handling them without harm.
HOW TO OPEN THE HIVE
First of all, fire up the smoker. The way to do this properly is to
place some easily ignited material in the bottom of the fire-chamber,
touch a match to it, and crowd in above it material which will make
plenty of smoke, and will not burn too rapidly; give a puff or two with
the bellows to be sure that the fire is started. We have used excelsior
in our smoker because it was near at hand, but it is not a perfect or
lasting fuel. Fine chips, especially planer shavings, old rags, greasy
cotton waste, and even pine needles are used. Anything is desirable
that will make a smudge and will not burn out too quickly; for when
we are working with the bees we have little time or inclination to
stop and “putter” with the smoker; and we cannot afford to have the
smoke give out at the critical moment when we most need its protecting
incense. A minimum amount of fire with the maximum amount of smoke
is the desirable quality in the smoker. If the fire gets too hot the
blasts will burn the bees, which is an outrage, and which is never
permitted by a civilised individual. The Corneil smoker has a hook
attached to the bellows, so it may be hung on the edge of the open hive
to be at hand in time of need. If it becomes too hot, we lay it flat on
the ground so as to stop the draft. Each time after the smoker is used
it should be emptied, otherwise it is likely to start a conflagration.
We have an ash pail near the apiary in which we always empty the
smoker on our way back to the bee-room. Mr. Root speaks of never using
the smoker until it is needed; when his bees trouble him, he gently
pats them on the back with a little grass to get them out of his way
as he lifts up the frames. And we never can admire Mr. Root enough
for dealing thus gently with his bee-people. But we would not advise
the novice to try this, as a person has to be on very intimate terms
with bees to be able to pat them on the back with grass and impunity.
However, this is an ideal to work toward. The nervous beginner almost
invariably uses too much smoke, and this makes his little dependents
unhappy. The breathing of smoke is hardly a pleasant experience for
us, and it seems to be still more distressing to the bees. We remember
once how, in the enthusiasm of our novitiate, we inadvertantly smoked
the bee-man instead of the bees in our misguided efforts to help, and
the result was a blueness of the atmosphere which rendered more smoke
superfluous. Every beginner ought to get at least one headache from the
fumes of the smoker to teach him charity and care.
There are several reasons why the hive must be opened, aside from the
fun one derives from the experience. First, the brood needs to be
examined occasionally to see that it is all right, and in the fall the
brood-comb must be examined to see that there is enough honey stored
within it to winter the bees. Second, during the swarming season to
find and remove the queen cells. Third, to hunt for the queen to be
sure she is present and active, or perchance to find her and clip her
wings. Fourth, to take off supers filled with honey. A warm day should
be selected for opening the hive for whatever reason, and the middle
of the day is the best time for the work.
Send two or three puffs of smoke in at the entrance to drive back the
frightened sentinels who keep careful watch of the portals of the hive.
Then lift one edge of the cover of the hive a little and send two or
three puffs in the crack; then lift off the cover and set it down
beside you; then lift the quilt or super-cover at one edge, and give
two or three puffs of smoke beneath it to drive the bees down among the
frames, always remembering that under ordinary circumstances a very
little smoke is necessary to frighten and subdue the bees. In fact the
same rule applies to smoking bees as to smoking tobacco; if one is
moderate in its use, the least harm will result.
HOW TO EXAMINE THE BROOD-CHAMBER. (Plate VIII.)
Stand at one side of the hive, and not in front of it. Hang the smoker
on the side of the hive, so as to have it within reach. Mr. Root
advises sitting on the cover of the hive set on edge while you examine
the brood-frame. This will do for a well-poised person, but we prefer a
little stool, which we can carry easily from hive to hive, as we wish
something that we can sit on calmly as the situation requires. Commence
at one side and loosen the outside section with a knife, or what is
better, an old screw-driver. Take the frame by the projecting ends,
and lift it up so that you may examine it on one side, then twirl it
half-way over to examine it on the other. It requires some experience
to placidly lift out a frame, covered with what at first sight looks
like a dark, boiling, viscous fluid, fit only for a witch’s cauldron,
but which soon to the startled eye resolves itself into bee particles.
If the brood must be examined or queen cells found, then it becomes
necessary to get rid of this seething, enveloping bee-mass, which is
done in a manner that seems like nothing less than tempting Providence.
The brood-frame is seized firmly in the operator’s hands, and held
about waist high in front of the hive, then let to drop, hands and
all, swiftly to within about six inches of the doorstep of the hive,
then suddenly jerked back again; the bees being heavy and receiving
the downward impetus, keep right on as a man keeps on when his bicycle
stops suddenly in a rut—with this difference that the bees land safely
at the entrance of the hive, into which they scamper as soon as their
dazed wits will allow. One would naturally think that the bees would
attack the active agent of this indignity, but while bees are ever
ready to fight recognised enemies, they have evolved no plan of action
which is equal to a cataclysm, except to get under cover as soon as
possible. Thus being shaken from their foundations is to them what an
earthquake is to us, and the attitude of Riley’s boy is theirs.
“Where’s a boy a-goin’ an’ what’s he goin’ to do,
An’ how’s he goin’ to do it, when the world bu’sts through?”
Thus it is that among the first accomplishments of the apiarist is the
one that enables him skilfully and with dispatch, and without harming
the individuals to shake the surprised little mob off the frame or out
of the boxes, to a place where its members may recover shelter and
equanimity as expeditiously as possible.
After the comb is freed from the bees, it requires some experience with
honey-comb topography to see at a glance just the condition of the
brood. There may be cells that look empty until a ray of light reveals
at the bottom a glistening egg; and there may be cells with a little
milky substance at the bottom in which the young larva is floating; or
in some cells the bee grubs may be distinctly seen if they are four
or five days old. If the cells are capped, it may puzzle the novice
to know what lies behind that closed waxen door. If the cells contain
honey, the substance of which the cap is made is whiter than that which
covers the brood. In case of worker-brood the cap is depressed slightly
below the plane of the comb, which is not the case if the cells contain
honey. The large size of the drone cells distinguishes them readily
from the cells of the workers. Often honey is stored in drone cells,
for the bees seem to like to make these larger cells, and for good
reason, since they give greater storage capacity for the amount of wax
used. However, the drone cells which contain brood are covered with
dark, dirty, yellow caps which are quite convex, looking like kopjes
on the comb plain. At the height of the honey season there should be
plenty of brood, and later the cells in the brood-frames should be
filled with honey. The cells containing bee-bread are not capped, as
this staff of bee life is packed so hard that it does not need to be
covered. All honey remains uncapped until it is properly evaporated and
ripened. (Plate VIII.)
After one frame has been thus examined, it should be leaned up against
the side of the hive so as to give space to lift out the next frame
without crushing the bees.
HOW TO FIND THE QUEEN CELL
Fortunately for us, this is quite prominent, being a veritable oriel
in shape. However, there may be other excrescences of the comb which
somewhat resemble a queen cell; sometimes the queen cell may be more
or less embedded and so escape observation. The bee-keeper who is
cocksure that he can find all the queen cells in his hives has to be
most experienced, and even then cocksureness may come to grief. But
this unglazed oriel window in which the queen develops is usually quite
noticeable, and is ordinarily decorated with a small, hexagonal pattern
in relief. We have often wondered if this was done for the sake of
decoration, or because the bees are so in the habit of fashioning wax
into hexagonal patterns that they do it involuntarily. For the person
who rashly asserts that honey-comb is the result of fortuitous force
and pressure, this queen cell with its hexagonal frescoes is a poser.
(Plate V.)
To cut out the queen cell a sharp, pointed knife is necessary, in
order to injure the comb beneath the cell as little as possible.
HOW TO FIND THE QUEEN
If we simply need assurance that the queen is present and active, the
discovery of eggs or young larvæ in the cells is sufficient evidence
of her presence, and saves the tiresome search for her majesty. But
if we wish to find her, she is usually present on the middle frame of
the hive. It is not safe to pull out this middle frame from the narrow
place which it occupies for fear of hurting the queen and crushing
the other bees; so it is best always to take out an end frame, first
looking at it carefully to make sure she is not upon it; then shake off
the bees and set it beside the hive, and move the other frames along
in the space thus made until we are able to remove the middle frame
with ease. It requires some experience to ferret out the queen from
the bee-mob which seethes over the comb. The burly, big, blunt-ended
drones are much more readily detected. However, after a little training
in the devious ways of royalty one becomes expert in seeing that
long, graceful, pointed body extending far back of the wings which
characterises the queen. If the bees are not too much disturbed, she
is likely to be surrounded by a rosette of workers, all with their
faces toward her, for even in the court of the hive etiquette does not
permit that the ladies-in-waiting turn their backs to the queen. If for
any reason the queen is to be lifted out, she should be seized by the
wings or thorax or imprisoned in a queen trap, but never under any
circumstances should she be seized by the abdomen. (Plate XVI, Queen
trap.)
CLIPPING THE QUEEN’S WINGS
This does not mean cutting off all four of the wings, but that the
wings on one side should be clipped, leaving stubs not more than an
eighth of an inch long. Various devices have been invented to aid
clumsy hands in cutting off the royal petticoats. One, the Monette
queen-clipping device, is a little cone-shaped cage made of wire laid
in spirals. She goes into this cage head first and the door is shut
behind her. Then the scissors are slipped between the spirals at the
proper point and the deed is done. Another simple device is a bit of
section-board whittled in the shape of a tiny bootjack with a rubber
band stretched rather tightly across the prongs. The forks are placed
across the queen so that the rubber presses against the thorax, thus
pinning her fast to the comb while she is barbered. The only skill
needed in this device is in fixing the tension of the rubber band so
that it will be sufficient to hold her majesty fast, and yet not stiff
enough to hurt her. Our invariable plan is as follows: After the queen
is discovered, we hold the brood-frame in one hand, pick up her royal
highness in the other most gently, then still more gently set the frame
down, leaning it against the hive; then, holding her royal person
firmly but carefully in our own unworthy thumb and fingers, clip her
wings with presuming scissors; then, putting the scissors down as we
pick up the frame, and put her back as nearly as possible on the spot
where we found her. We always use the sharp-pointed embroidery scissors
for this delicate operation.
HOW TO TAKE OFF HONEY IN SUPERS
Lift the hive cover and quilt with a slight introduction of smoke,
then lift off completely. Smoke from above for a moment, being very
careful not to burn the bees, always remembering that smoke is meant
to scare and not to punish. Then loosen the super with a screw-driver
if the bees have fastened it down with bee glue, lift it and place
it on a bottom board near at hand. Put on an unfilled super if it is
needed and cover the hive. Lift the honey-sections out of the super,
brushing off the adhering bees with a bee-brush, so that they will fall
on the doorstep of the hive, and place each section as it is cleaned
in a basket or box in which it is to be carried to the store-room.
This is our usual way of procedure when our apiary is small, and we
do this work during spare moments which are not predictable the night
before. However, there is one best way to do this work, and that is
to put on a Porter bee-escape the night before the super is to be
removed. Wise from experience, we advise beginners to study this device
and become imbued with a knowledge of its workings to the extent of
being able to tell which is the upper and which the under side, lest
disastrous results ensue and all of the bees escape into the super
instead of out of it. If the bee-escape is placed on the night before,
there will be no bees in the super when it is removed next day. To
introduce a bee-escape one does not need to lift off the super; simply
lift it up at one side, send a little smoke into the crack, push in
the bee-escape, and then set it straight upon the hive and the super
straight upon it. (Plates III, XVIII.)
The novice might conclude that a good plan would be simply to set off
the super near the hive, and let the bees find their own way back to
their brood and kindred. But bee-nature has to be reckoned with in this
instance, and the bees, conscious that the honey is their own, are
likely to uncap the cells and carry the honey into the hive; or worse
still, the bees from other hives will be attracted to these open stores
and will begin to rob. And in the bee courts of equity, when bees begin
to rob, then the “devil is to pay.”
There have been various bee-tents devised under which the supers are
placed after being removed from the hive. These tents are arranged with
a little hole at the top by which the bees may escape, but may not
return. Doctor Miller invented a simple plan of piling several supers
filled with honey on top of each other, leaving no crevices between
them; over these was spread a cloth with a hole in the middle, over
which was placed a wire cone with a hole in the top large enough to let
a bee pass out. Thus the bees from all of the sections escaped, one
by one, and robbing was avoided. However, the bee-escapes introduced
between the super and the hives are used to-day by most enterprising
bee-men.
OBSERVATION-HIVES (Frontispiece)
Anyone who has worked long with bees, cannot fail to become filled
with curiosity concerning the way their work is carried on in the
mysterious darkness of the hive; to such a person, the observation-hive
is a source of perennial delight, as well as of interesting and useful
knowledge.
Observation-hives have been used by bee-keepers from the time of Huber
to the present, and naturally many forms of them have been devised. The
type in most common use now is a small hive, containing one, two or
three frames, and furnished with glass sides, through which the bees
can be observed. The glass sides are covered with a door or curtain,
except when observations are being made; for, if not, the bees will
cover the glass with a coat of propolis, rendering it opaque.
It is somewhat difficult to keep a colony in good condition upon a
single frame; and if two or more frames are used side by side the
observer is unable to see what goes on between the frames. Professor
Kellogg, of Stanford University, has devised a perfectly satisfactory
two-frame observation-hive for his laboratory. It consists of a
glass-sided box, large enough to hold two Langstroth frames, one above
the other; as both sides of the comb are exposed, any individual bee
may be kept constantly in sight while she is working. The passage
which leads from the hive to the opening in the window has a glass
top, so the actions of the bees as they enter the hive may be watched.
A hood of thick black cloth is pulled down over the hive when the
observations are finished. Similar observation hives may be purchased
of dealers in apiarists’ supplies.
Such an observation-hive would be of great value to the enterprising
bee-keeper, as it would be the means of helping him to understand
conditions which were puzzling, and thus aid him in dealing with crises
that are sure to occur. The advantage of this hive over any other is
that frames from any hive may be kept under closest observation. But
if the hive were a means of interest merely, it would still be worth
while, for the bee-keeper cannot know too much about the ways of bees,
_supposing all he knows is true_.
MAXIMS FOR OPENING THE HIVE
Have the smoker ready to give forth a good volume of smoke.
Use the smoker to scare the bees rather than to punish them.
Do not stand in front of the hive lest the bees passing out and in take
umbrage.
Be careful not to drop any implements with which you are working; take
hold of all things firmly.
Move steadily, and not nervously.
Do not run if frightened, for the bees understand what running away
means as well as you do.
If the bees attack you, move slowly away, smoking them off as you go.
If a bee annoys you by her threatening attitude for some time, kill her
ruthlessly.
If stung by a bee, rub off the sting, instead of pulling it out with
the nails of the thumb and forefinger and thus forcing more venom into
the wound.
Ammonia applied to the wound made by a bee-sting will usually afford
immediate relief.