Manual of the apiary

by Albert John Cook

CHAFF HIVES.

Messrs. Townley, Butler, Root, and others, prefer chaff hives, which are simply double-walled hives, with the four or five inch chambers filled with chaff. The objection to these I take to be: First, Danger that so limited a space would not answer in severe seasons; Second, That such cumbrous hives would be inconvenient to handle in summer; and, Third, A matter of expense. That they would in part supply the place of shade, is, perhaps, in their favor, while Mr. A. I. Root thinks they are not expensive.