The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1877-05-19
Bee Hives

The subject OF bee hives mas attracted
q good deal of attention for twenty
five years. We have, ] believe, one
hundred and three hives :" Patented,
and as many more that are not IL
does seem strange to an observing man,
that it be possible for to find sufficient
distinction to merit giant OF " Letters
! PATENT One thing doubtless accounts
| for it, viz: The patent commissioner
| has so little knowledge OF the require
ments for hive.
It is not requisite to describe any Of
| these hives, nor condemn, but to point
out some of the principal points re-
quisite for hive. A hive should con-
tain about 1900 square inches as the
inside measurement for any climate,
| but different climates require different
shaped hive. For the Southern States
it should be Is inches long, "A IA wide
and 10 deep, inside measure. There
| should be ten frames, 9x17 SO inches,
outside measure, with top, for project
| ing 3-8 of an inch, SO as to suspend
| them on a crobbIt at eaeh END, the
material for frames 8 1873 A hive
should be tight fitting AMI we'll painted.
| The top loose, so as to be taken Oh at
pleasure The entrance should be the
width Of the hive, and three e1ghtS OF
all inch high. A gallery i'll FrGnt does
|
allowed, as they are cold III winter,
damDness accumulates and makes har-
bOrs for moths. Moth traps are to be
discarded as a nuisance, tOr Instead OF
assisting the bee to Keep them out, IL
is just fine nursery to develop the
moth and keep it where the bee cannot
kill them. Allow me just here to say
that there is no need whatever OF q
moth trap in good colony OF bees ana
if your colony is not strong enough to
keep the moth out, then you cannot
keep them out with all the traps ever
gotten combined.
The moth miller goes in at the same
entrance that the bee does and you
can't deceive them as to the right en-
trance. The bee seldom ever attacks
them owing to peculiar t1oWny sub
stance which envelopes their whole body,
consequently the miller deposits its
eggs by the thousands all over the
combs. AS soon as tks-temperature
reaches $50 F., they will hatch, but
should the heat not be sufficient they
will remain good for years and no
freezing will injure them. AS soon as
they are hatched while very small the
bees pick them up and carry them out
of the hive, and the moth worm is too
feeble to ever get back. But some are
foolish enough to have moth nursery
underneath the hive and that gives the
worm a chance to grow and make an
other miller, it deposits its eggs on the
combs and the bees have ten thousand
more worms to carry out, and tins IS
your moth trap. The reasons for so
much destruction by the moth is this,
the bees fill up the combs with honey
and the queen has no place to deposit
eggs and it is not long until the amount
| oE ic T,aHnanH SO thSt thew NOT
able to guard the combs and the moths
take a hive of honey instead OF a hive
of bees. This can be avoided by keep
ing a frame hive as above described
and during the honey season take out
cards of honey and insert empty frames.
This will Keep the stock strong, which
is the only sure moth destroyer we have.
Bee hives are now manufactured at
box factories so low that 1T does not
/ Justify any one to make his own. Ihey
! can be had, put together and Ralnted,
= about one third the price they were SIX
years ago.
6 We are using hives three stories high,
but they are not practicable only for
! those who devote their whole time to
bees.
> There has been considerable failure
in regard to box honey. 1t has always
been the custom among the farmers
] and others to make square box for
1 surplus honey. They bore one or more
inch holes on the top of the hive and
set the box on, and it is not often that
! they get much honey, but had they
= made box the same size as the top OF
the hive and five inches deep, then
: taken the top of the hive off and put
: a box on, they would always succeed If
. put on as soon as the bees swarm (on
. the parent hive.) sHA
e would caution people against buy
ing the fancy fixed, moth trap, hives,
i for a Plain, simple hive is much more
! easily managed, cheaper and more
- = durable. AS soon as you put bees i'll q
I fancy hive the bees wax them up and
YOU can't get them open, and worse
still, you are required TO pay a heavy
> price for the right to use them, while
> there are lew VIC Who have money to waste
: when there are hives which can be had
I without paying for some hnmbng under
II II the head Of " a PATENT A well made
!, hive. painted and placed in yard is an
! ornament, the hum of the bee is music
= and last, but not least, plate OF nice
y honey on the table is seldom rejected.
4 | will next time say something about
u the habits and instincts OF the bee ano
Z how to begin. Those interested IL
i bees and honey and wishing to see me
al nan,n