Evening journal., 1908-04-28

1t may not be out of place to deAe
some Of the terms that occur fre-
quently in this series of articles.
While this would not be necessary TO
the expert yet to the amateur it win
make plain some references. A 'hivep
refers to that in which the bees are
kept 'hive Of bees" refers to both
the box in which the bees are and also
the bees themselves. A "colonyY is
an aggregation of bees presided over
by queen. usually occupying one hox
or hive, or it may be in a tree, or the
side OF a house or in a crevice in
rock If one had ten colonies of bees.
he would have them IN ten separate
and distinct hives. Sometimes the
word stand" is applied to bees. As a
man has ten stands of bees. That
would indicate that he had ten hives
in which We're ten colonies of bees
one colony in each hive
There are various kinds of hives in
use, The box hive is a box about
twelve inches square and from eigh-
teen TO twenty-four inches high, with
usually a couple of sticks cross
ed about the middle to help hold up the
comb. This was largely used in years
past The honey was taken by digging
pole In the ground In which burning
sulphur was placed and the box set
over It until all the bees were dead;
then the box was broken open and the
honey taken No one with any pre-
tentions to bee keeping follows that
course now. Another way to secure
honey from the box hive is to arrange
box to fit on top. The top of the
hiye is taken of and this box placed
on top In the fall, when this box is
filled, it is taken off and the original
lid put back.
Modern bee keeping requires that
the hive shall be of such a character
that one can easily get at all parts of
the brood nest and thoroughly examine
the condition Of the colony, Tho NOV
able frame hive has therefore, taken
the place Of the box hive, or other
forms of hives, such as the gum"
the 'skep." etc. The gum received it's
name from the fact that a colony of
bees found in a gum tree was secured
by saving the tree off just above and
below where the bees We're and carry
ing this part of the trunk of the tree
home and setting IL up in the yard.
The "skep' Is the straw hive. No de-
scription of this is necessary, as the
body, as 1t seems to have become the
symbol for bees. Probably 1t became
so by it's picturesque appearance.
The Germans, however, have made
movable frame hive out of the skap
by putting oval top frames in from
the bottom. BY turning it upside
down when they wish to examine it
the frames are easily removed.
There are a number of patent hives
on the market with glass doors and
little boxes to slip in for the bees to
hli and then they can be removed
without disturbing the bees, but all
such are of little practical value. They
afford so many places for the moth to
lodge and for ants to make their nests,
and the bees stick them up with pro-
polls, so that they cannot be gotten
out without breaking.
The hive that is most largely used
in the United States is the simplicity
hive, a box longer than wide, with
hanging loose frames. This is the
brood chamber; and then a shallow
box of same length and width, In
which the small pound boxes are put,
is placed on top Of the brood cham
Der. There IS no patent on this hive,
and anyone can make IL that 80 wishes.
It has been the experience OF most
people that II cannot be made by them
as we'll or as oheaply as 1t can be
bought
Most OF us have tried our hand at t.
but we find that the manufactures can
heat us. Last year a bee keeper who
is a carpenter bought the inside fixtures
for the hives through me, but said he
thought he could save something on
the hives by making them himself. He
told me afterward that he would not
do so again, that he could not make
them as cheaply as he could buy them.
To make bee keering profitable 1t is
necessary to keep them in modern
hives.
Having decided upon the kind Of
hive to put the bees in, then where
shall the hives be placed. They should
not be too far from the house, for In
swarming time II is necessary 10 know
when the swarm issues, so that 1t can
be hived before Il takes to the woods.
The orchard is a good place or the
chicken yard. No harm comes to the
chickens from the bees, and it is a re-
markable fact that the chickens learn
to pick out the drones. l have watched
the chickens standing at the entrances
of the hives, and as soon as a drone
would come out II would be captured,
but 1 have never known them TO touch
the worker bees.
It is not necessary to have the bees
fenced of from horses or cattle, pro-
vided the lot In which they are in Is
large enough for the horses or cattle
to get away in case hive should be
overturned or the bees angered in any
way.
knew one who kept his bees In the
pasture field, with the cattle and
horses having free access 10 them.
And I have turned my horse out in the
lot-i20x60 feet-where my bees are
And il was amusing to see her eat the
grass in front Of the hives. She would
90 closer and closer to the entrance
and keep her eye on the bees and pay
no attention to them until they began
to show signs Of investigating her
presence and then she would back of
and try another hive. She kept the
grass down 70 within few inches OF
the entrances. And believe she
learned to distinguish the note of
warning of the bees.
There is an idea prevalent among
some people that the bee has a special
hatred Of a horse. II is true that II a
horse should be stung by great num-
Der of bees at once it would prove
fatal unless immediate relief were
given. But the bees will not go out
- tbe xvav TO seek for a horse TO