Manual of the apiary

by Albert John Cook

If the upper story shuts over the lower and rests on a shoulder ([Fig, 29]) it may still be made to take the same sized frame, by nailing pieces one-half an inch square to the corners, whose length shall equal the distance from the rabbet in the lower story to the bottom board. Now nail to these upright pieces, parallel to the rabbeted faces below, a three-eighths inch board as wide as the pieces are long. The top of these thin boards will take the place of the rabbet in the lower story. This style, which is adopted in the two-story hives as made by Mr. Langstroth ([Fig, 29]), will permit in the upper story the same frames as used in the lower story, while two more can be inserted. Upon this upper story a shallow cover will rest. Such covers, if desired, may be made roof-like ([Fig, 34]), by cutting end pieces, (Fig 34, b) in form of the gable of a house. In this case there will be two slanting boards ([Fig, 34, a, a]), instead of one that is horizontal, to carry off the rain. The slanting boards should project at the ends ([Fig, 34, d]), for convenience in handling. In such covers we need thin, narrow ridge-boards ([Fig, 34, c]), to keep all perfectly dry. These covers look neat, are not so apt to check, and will dry much quicker after a rain.

Fig. 34.

If we secure comb-honey in crates, and winter out-doors—in which case we shall need to protect in the Northern States—it will be convenient to have a box of the same general form as the main body of the hive, from six to eight inches deep, just large enough to set over the body of the hive and rest on shoulder-strips, and without top or bottom; this to have such a cover as just described. Such is the arrangement of Southard and Ranney, of Kalamazoo, which, on the score of simplicity and convenience, has much to recommend it.

In the above I have said nothing about porticos ([Fig, 29]). If hives are shaded as they should be, these are useless, and I believe that in no case will they pay. To be sure, they are nice for spider-webs, and a shady place in which bees may cluster; but such are inconvenient places to study the wondrous fabrics of the spider, even were he a friend of the bees, and the most successful apiarist will not force his bees to hang in idle clusters about the hive.

THE FRAMES.

The form and size of frames, though not quite as various as the persons who use them, are still very different. Some prefer large frames. I first used one ten by eighteen inches, and afterward a shallow frame about seven by eighteen ([Fig, 29]). The advantage claimed for large frames is that there are less to handle, and time is saved; yet may not smaller frames be handled so much more dexterously, especially if they are to be handled through all the long day, as to compensate, in part at least, for the number? The advantage of the shallow frame is, as claimed, that the bees will go into boxes more readily; yet they are not considered so safe for out-door wintering. This is the style recommended and used by Mr. Langstroth, which fact may account for its popularity in the United States. Another frame in common use, is one about one foot square. I use one eleven inches square. The reasons that I prefer this form are, that the comb seldom breaks from the frame, the frames are convenient for nuclei, and save the expense of constructing extra nucleus hives, and that these frames permit the most compact arrangement for winter and spring, and thus enable us to economize heat. By use of a division board, we can, by using eight of these frames, occupy just a cubic foot of space in spring, and by repeated experiments I have found that a hive so constructed that the bees always cover the combs during the early cold weather, always gives the best results. As the honey season comes on more can be added, till we have reached twelve, as many, I think, as will ever be needed for brood. This was the size of frame preferred by Mr. Gallup, and is the one used by Messrs. Davis and Doolittle, and many others of our most successful apiarists. That this size is imperative is, of course, not true; that it combines as many desirable points as any other, I think, is true. For apiarists who are not very strong, especially for ladies, it is beyond question superior to all others.

HOW TO CONSTRUCT THE FRAMES.

In this description, I shall suppose that the frames desired are of the form and size ([Fig, 35]) which I use. It will be easy, for any who may desire, to change the form at pleasure. For the top-bar ([Fig, 35, a]) of the frame, use a triangular strip twelve and three-quarter inches long, with each face of the triangle one inch across. Seven-eighths of an inch from each end of this, form a shoulder, by sawing from one angle to within one-fourth of an inch of the opposite face, so that when the piece is split out from the end, these projections shall be just one-fourth of an inch thick throughout. For the side pieces ([Fig, 35, b, b]), take strips eleven inches long, seven-eighths of an inch wide, and one-fourth of an inch thick. Tack with small brads the end of two of these strips firmly to the shoulder of the top-bar, taking pains that the end touches squarely against the projection. Now tack to the opposite ends or bottoms, the ends of a similar strip ([Fig. 35, d]) eleven and a half inches long. We shall thus have a square frame.

Fig. 35.