[We can give full address to any who may desire, but the writer at present prefers a nom de plume.—Ed.]
At the risk of having the above sound something like a puff for the corners, we have decided to give it a place, especially as some disparaging remarks that have been given might tend towards giving an impression that the corners hardly deserve. We will cheerfully give place to anything on the contrary side, coming from any Apiary where they have been considerably used.
Our friends are in error about Mrs. Tupper using a frame 12×12 inside. Variety of taste has dictated so many different thicknesses of the stuff composing the frames, that we cannot see how our friend gets rid of fractions by using inside dimensions as a standard. We have seen end bars in use one inch in thickness and top bars with a massive comb guide still thicker. Supposing we all should adopt a uniform size inside of frame, where would be the outside, and what would be dimensions of hive to suit? We can readily make metal cornered frames to agree in outside dimensions, with any frame in use, and this allows them to be worked in the same hive mixed up with the old ones, thus giving the owner a fair chance to contrast their lightness, ease in handling, and at the same time greater capacity for brood and honey, from the larger comb surface.
We certainly don’t want any of your friend’s “rights” but if you will send us a sample of his honey box, we will cheerfully help him sell it, if we think it meritorious. Let him manufacture and supply all demand, and let his patent papers protect him in so doing. Nice honey boxes should be made by machinery, and ordinary bee-keepers would prefer to buy rather than to make them.
A NOVEL IDEA IN WINTERING.
WITH SOME OTHER IMPORTANT FACTS.
I have used several hives with an outside case filled in between with straw or leaves, for five or six years. Also hives with double boarded sides and ends with dead air space between the boards but I fail to see that they do any better than the single boards. Last winter a small colony in a hive of ½ inch boards wintered well without any protection except the quilt covering on top, and the entrance closed with a piece of wool when the weather was freezing. I have two small colonies (made up in the fall of my nucleus hives) in the same hives, and they have stood thus far as well as others. The only difference that I see, is that they are more apt to fly out when the sun shines brightly, and need shading.
Another experiment.—I saw it stated that empty space beneath the bees was of great advantage. Last winter I removed all the frames from the lower story of a hive and left the colony to winter in the upper story. They did well, but it was a very fine strong colony and proves nothing. This winter I have quite a weak colony wintering in the upper story and doing very well so far.
Third experiment.—Some years ago I was preparing my bees for winter by removing frames from upper story and putting on quilts. In one very strong colony the bees remained on top the frames in large numbers. I pulled off an old wool hat and placed over them and spread the quilt over that. I found the bees filled the hat and remained in it all winter. Since then I have used all the old hats I can find. I notice in some instances that half the bees of the colony are in the hat. When those in the hat get hungry, and those below get cold, how nice and easy it is for them to exchange places, much easier than to go from the outside of the cluster to the inside over or around the frames—that is, provided that is their way of doing—for instance, when one little fellow’s feet get cold he goes inside to warm them, and another little fellow comes out to take his place. This I believe is the generally received theory. I noticed it so stated lately by one of our most distinguished bee masters, (M. Q. in Am. Agriculturist). As I never saw any such commotion among them as would necessarily be the consequence of all this changing in cold weather, you must excuse me for being somewhat skeptical about. Has anyone actually observed this continual changing places in cold weather? Akin to this is another statement we frequently see made—that the colder the weather the more the bees require to eat to keep up the animal heat. This is all very nice in theory, but so far as I have observed, the bees are very quiet and still in cold weather, and scarcely consume any honey at all. These may be subjects worthy of investigation. I don’t propose to discuss them here.