The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1876-01-26

l. F Abbott i Contributing q Sc
ries Of articles Oh bee keeping % the
Maine farmer, which introduce some
sensible ideas. Tie great morality
among bees. Of laIe years. from Geld,
is much greater than formerly, aud
Nj \. suggests that II is caused By
the different styles Of hive-a sub
iect certainly worthy Of cousidera-
ton By bee keepers. He says:
a swarm Of bees in the movable
comb hive il in an abnormal condi-
ton. The instinct Of the bees leads
them 10 80 construct The combs when
left 70 foll0w their instinct 50 that
they are a safeguard against the rig
ore Of winter. The bee keeper, for
good reasons, says: If Jet my bees
follow their own INCLINATION aud con
struct the combs to their liking. il
illustrates my plans and depriyes ne
of my profits vii modify, some
what tue plans nsture. has Instructed
them TO carry out in this particular
Of comb building, and make them
subserge my interests, at the risk Of
losing at some other point.
1T Is our belief that bees need DIFF
ferent treatment in winter ia frame
hives, from what they dc in toe olu
box hive. With combs nearly straight
from rear to front, with untitled
space at each end Of The frames, the
hives are necessarily much colder,
and not only that; bot tie bees can
not cluster so compactly with combs
il such shape, and if spread out be-
tween four or FIVE straight sheets of
comb-Jbe changes in temperature Of
our winters affect them much more if
10 method for giving protection is
adopted We claim that bees viii
wiuter as wei nov as they did fifteen
years ago ifplaced IN the same eondi-
ton as then. Let Us consider FOR "a
moment the maDner 10 which bees,
that are allowed to follow their own
instinct, Construct their combs. We
have bad occasion latcly to dissccJ
several old box hives, removing the
comb aud bees 10 order to obtain the
latter for strengthening some If our
own swarms. Two or three old
swarms had occupied their hives
some twelve or fifteen years. All
the profit derived from them had been
by the increase Of swarms; but what
is noticeable in such cases, is the en-
ri9us manner Of building the breeding
apartment. or, as it may be called
the living room" for the swarm
The combs in the upper part Of the
hive are placediu quite regularly, as
this is the store-room; but when we
come to the brood nest, we find it as
dissimilar from straight combs IN the
modern frame hives as it is possible
TO C uceive.
"Ilstead Of the. regular sheets
bail from side TO side, or from corner
10 corne as IS of,en the case. We End
more or less Of them curved. For
instance, G sheet commenced ct some
point (as the back OF the hive is car
RED to the side till a point about the
centre Of the hive is reached. when it
is curved and brOughtto a right an
gle with the starting point, and per
haps is completed q little past the
centre Of the hive; and another sheet
passes at this point at an angle with
the other sheet, and then a. the points
where these nearly ~intersect it will
be seen there is much more space
than if the combs were carried
straight and parallel to each other.
This arrangement allows the build
ing Of quite a number of small sheets
of combs in many irregular forms,
aud the whole protected with the
larger sheets, thus giving compact
ness to tbescluster Of bees 10 cold
weather, which it is Impossible Tor
them 10 assume 10 perfectly straight
combs. Nor is the ample space af-
forded by this arrangement all.
Nearly all these inner combs are
pierced with holes from the side to
admit a bee 10 ~passreadily 20 an inch
10 diameter. And thus the interior
Of this living apartment is full Of
galleries and halls, and all, 50 to
speak, are amply provided with large
folding doors, 50 thar ueighbJrs can
readily make friendly calls and not
be ceremonious, and have % ring
the bell every time. Bees generate
much warmth if they can cluster
together in large numbers, but spread
them out aud frequent chilling de-
stroys them"