Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1858-09-24
agricultural.
BEES AND BEE HIVES.


'The less a farmer bothers himself with pa
tent hives and bee palaces, and the less he
tries to counterfeit nature in the management
of his bees, the better he will be off.
The above, taken from the New York Tri-
bune so exactly accords with my own expert
ence, that cannot refrain from adopting it
as text. have been often importuned by
friends to write an article on bees for the
benefit of the public, and in doing so | must
be allowed to be little egotistical or | can
not say all that is necessary to be fully un-
derstood. have been engaged more or less,
in the management of bees, about twenty-five
years. | have experimental considerable
have tried all the patents and new-fangled no
tons, that came in my way, and have con
demned the whole as entirely worthless. 1t
is an incontroycrtabe fact that the more sim
pl and in accordance with he nature Of he
bees, they are managed, the more profitable
they will be to their owners. have read all
| could get hold of about bees and sought in
formation in various other ways, and yet
nearly all have learned of any real benefit, /
have learned from the bees themselves, not
from man,
The hive now use is ono of my own in
vention. have used it fifteen years It is
cheap and simple in its construction, and is
not patented. The public are welcome to use
it. get as much surplus honey and realize
as much profit from my bees as any one in
this State. am seldom troubled with "beo
moths" have never lost a swarm by flight
nor in any other way by which it could be at
tributed to a fault in this hive. / will now
give brief description of it, setting forth
some Of its advantages over other hives, and
if any one wishes further information they
know how to obtain it, The hive is not a
a wooden one nor is it entirely of straw, but
partly of both. OF strips of wood planed out
about one inch square, l first make frame
something in the form Of the exterior of
common barn frame, minus roof-dimensionl
IL by Is inches and 3 inches high, so tina
the body Of the hive, where the bees do theii
breeding and all their ordinary work, shall
contain about POO cubic inches in the area
The lower girts should be about one and one
fourth inches from the bottom, this grit pre-.
vents an easy access of the millcrs to tn,
broad comb.) | then hsten with nails OF
screws, a halfinch board on the top, larg,
enough to project nearly two inches each wa,
over the edge of the frame On the top 0
this board the boxes are placed for the sur
plus honey, through which one and hall
inch holes are made for the entrance Of tn
bees. After working the straw over the bod
Of the hive, commencing at top and sewinI
with elm bark after the manner Of sewinl
'the old-fashioned straw hives" | thei
press on to the bottom hoop, made by nail
ing together strips Of boards two inches Wild
and one inch in thickness, so as to press III,
straw tight together, and fasten with nails
/ cut a notch in the bottom Of this hoop abou
two and half inches in length and one-thir
of an inch deep, for the common entrance @
the bees. The timber should all be plane
smooth-the straw, rye.
The advantages Of this hive over all other
that have used, are very material in m
view. In a short communication like this
can mention but few. / have used othe
hives called "good hives" since | commences
using this. II is generally conceded tina
straw hives are the best to winter bees in =
not altogether because they are 50 muc
warmer, but because they will "keep dry,