DEAR NOVICE:—I am in favor of deep frames for these reasons: Experience has convinced me that bees winter better and breed earlier in deep than in shallow frames. In hollow trees: the natural home of the bee (and the one they like most) the depth is always greater than the width. In shallow frames they have to spread out so thin, or cluster on the cold honey, that it makes it much harder to keep up the necessary warmth. They seem to think they must have bees where they have honey; and I have noticed these outside guards often get chilled and die at their post. The natural place for bees to store honey, is in the top of their combs; and when they want to know what they have in store they look for it there; hence we often see them start from the cluster run over the honey as if estimating it then pass into the cluster, doubtless to report. When the honey is directly over them I think they are more fully impressed with its possessions. A hive 12×12 and 16 inches in depth I believe is the best size and shape for wintering. Such a hive will allow plenty of honey in the top and enough empty comb at the bottom for the bees to cluster on, and keep in a round form which is certainly the best. But it will be said shallow frames are handier—should we not try to please our bees as well as ourselves? Again they swing together too badly—cannot some fixture be made to keep them apart? What says Novice?
Chas. Wilkins, Ott, Oregon. Dec. 4th, ’75.
But bees die in hollow trees nearly, if not quite as badly as in hives; as new swarms generally select these vacated hollow trees, we forget that not one colony, but a half dozen may have occupied the tree in a dozen years. We know bees run over the combs, frequently, but we can hardly accept the idea that they do it exactly for the reason mentioned. We do not use shallow frames for the reason that they are handier. See pages 16, Vol. 1, and 29, Vol. 2. If hives and frames are properly made, they can be made to hang true even when 16 inches deep.
I wish to have all understand that my one dollar Queens are the poorest. My prices are for a Queen $1.00, for a choice Queen $2.00, for a tested Queen $5.00.
J. W. Hosmer, Janesville, Minn.
The above was sent us by a subscriber, who had written Mr. H. in regard to $1.00 Queens. We are alone responsible for Mr. Hosmer’s name appearing in our list. He wrote us that he had been selling Queens for $1.00 for some years; shortly after he sent us (we presume by mistake) 75c. the second time. As he made no reply in regard to a query as to how we should use this, we took the liberty of keeping his name in during the year.
We need hardly repeat that we never intended dollar Queens, to include such as had been tested and found poor; and we do not wish to include the names of any who propose to do this, in our list.
I make a hive, 12 frames about 11×13 inches, inside measure, frames, division boards, entrance blocks, bottom and cover, with one cotton cloth feeder as you recommend, painted three coats, all complete for $1.50. If you wish, you can say through Gleanings that I will give one of my hives complete for a sample to any one that will send you a club of 10 new subscribers for Gleanings, from Canada, (no patent on it) for 1875 by your giving them the certificate showing that they have done so.