Improvements in and connected with Bee Hives.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Bee Hives.
I, GEORGE CASTLEDEN, of Dennington Rectory, Framlingham, in the County
of Suffolk, Clerk in Holy Orders, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows: :-
My invention has for its object improvements in the construction of and method
of using bee hives in order to prevent swarming.
In studying the habits of bees and the science of bee-keeping I have discovered
that bees will not often swarm so long as any unoccupied space exists within the hive
in proximity to the entrance. In order, therefore, to turn this habit of the bees
to account provide for artificially forming spaces in connection with different
entrances and for bringing such entrances successively into exactly the same
position, so that after the space around one entrance has been filled the next
entrance may be brought into position and the space around it filled and so on,
the reason for bringing the several entrances into the same position being that
bees in returning to the hive always go directly to the entrance and if this entrance
is closed and another opened at a different point the bees would lose themselves.
In carrying out my invention I advantageously use a bar-frame hive which will
contain say sixteen frames, the space containing a number of which, say ten, I
devote to what is called the brood chamber upon which supers for the surplus
honey can be placed in the usual manner and over which I place a lift or roof.
The space or spaces containing the other frames is or are separated from the
brood chamber by a dummy or partition or dummies or partitions which is or
are removable to permit of enlarging the brood chamber the said space
or spaces having a separate entrance or separate entrances and being also provided
with a roof or roofs which is or are removable to afford access to the space or
spaces.
may use slips of wood fixed just outside the brood chamber which may be
partly or wholly removable and which mark the portion of the hive to be used as
a brood chamber and against which the dummy or dummies fits or fit tightly.
The hive stands upon a base which revolves and the said hive or an additional
stand upon which it is placed is fitted with runners upon which it can easily be
drawn backwards and forwards, to permit of arranging the entrance to be used in
the required position.
In the space or spaces formed as hereinbefore described combs with little or no
foundation can be inserted.
The hive may be fitted with a back chamber communicating with it, or the
flocr board may be extended so that an additional back chamber can be placed
upon the extension and removed at will.
.G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I, GEORGE CASTLEDEN, of Dennington Rectory, Framlingham, in the County
of Suffolk, Clerk in Holy Orders, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:I
My invention has for its object improvements in the construction of and method
of using bee hives in order to prevent swarming.
The study of the habits of bees and the science of bee-keeping has revealed the
fact that bees will not often swarm so long as any unoccupied space exists within the
hive in proximity to the entrance. Endeavours have been made to turn this habit
of bees to account by removing from the orood nest, when the latter has been filled
up, one or more frames adjacent to the entrance in order to provide unoccupied
space, and the object of my invention is to provide an improved arrangement for
forming the spaces before referred to without disturbing the brood nest.
According to my invention I provide the brood nest with extensions which are
shut off from communication with the brood chamber until required for use each
of which extension chambers is provided with a separate entrance. As experience
has shewn that the bees always go directly to the position of the entrance which
they are in the habit of using and that if this entrance is closed and another
opened at a different point the bees would lose themselves I provide for moving the
hive so that when it is desired to bring a new entrance into use with the
space adjacent to it this new entrance may be placed in the position of the one
which was formerly in use and to this end I advantageously arrange the hive upon
a turn-table.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:-
-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hive provided with my improvements:
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the lower part of the same drawn to a
larger scale than Figure 1; and,
Figure 3 is a sectional plan of the part shewn in Figure 2:
Figure 4 is a plan view of a detail hereinafter referred to.
a is the brood chamber adapted to contain say ten frames and having the
entrance a¹, and b, c are two extension chambers each adapted to contain say four
frames and having entrances b', el respectively, the said extension chambers being
separated from the chamber a by the partitions d, d¹ which are removed as
occasion requires.
e, e are supers placed above the brood chamber a in the ordinary manner and
provided with a roof f and g, g are roofs which cover the extension chambers b, c.
h is a base board upon which the hive is mounted and i is a stand the said stand
as shewn being provided with a pivot pin whilst rollers or runners k, k are
fixed to the base board h and run upon the said stand.
If, now, assuming the brood chamber a to be filled up or nearly so more room
be required, the chamber b may be brought into use and for this purpose the
partition d is removed and the hive is turned so as to, bring the entrance. 6' into
substantially the position occupied by the entrance a¹; if, after the extension
chamber 6 has been filled further space be still required the chamber c may be
brought into use by removing the partition 'd' and bringing the entrance c¹ into
the same position as that formerly occupied by the entrance . If desired the
partitions d, d' instead of being made removable may be formed as diaphragm ex-
cluders which can be opened or closed as desired.

page_text: Any suitable means may be provided for holding the hive in any position in
which it may be placed; as shewn in the drawing I have represented a catch I as
being pivoted to the stand i and provided with a notch 1, Figure 4, which can be
engaged with one of the rollers k as shewn in Figure 3.
The extension chambers can be provided with glass covered openings to permit
of watching the bees to ascertain when more space is required, and the entrances to
the said chambers may have arranged in conjunction with them means whereby
they may be wholly or partially closed.
m, m are alighting boards fitted in connection with the several entrances.
As the simple turning of the hive shewn in the drawing would not bring the
entrances b, c in exactly the position occupied by the position a' I sometimes
mount the pivot jupon a board which can be moved backwards or forwards
between guides on the stand i.
Although in the drawing I have represented the brood chamber as having two
extensions I may in some cases construct the hive with only one extension or I
may use a greater number of extension chambers.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A bee hive having the brood chamber provided with one or more extension
chambers which is, or are, isolated from the brood chamber until required for use
and which, or each of which, is provided with an independent entrance which can
be placed in the position occupied by the entrance to the brood chamber, substan-
tially as described.
2. A bee hive having a brood chamber provided with one or more extension
chambers which, or each of which, is provided with a separate entrance the said
hive being mounted upon a turn table to permit of turning it to bring either of
the entrances into a given position, substantially as described.
3. The manufacture and use of bee hives substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dated the 1st day of March 1898.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.