Advantages Of The Changeable Hive Considered
Categories:
HIVES.
Bee Keeping:
Mysteries Of Bee-keeping Explained
The value of changeable hives is based upon the following
principle:--Each young bee when it first hatches from the egg, is
neither more nor less than a worm; when it receives the necessary food,
the bees seal it over; it will then spin a cocoon, or line its cell
with a coating of silk, less in thickness than the thinnest paper: this
remains after the bee leaves it. It is evident, therefore, that after a
few hundreds h
ve been reared in a cell, and each one has left its
cocoon, that such cell must be somewhat diminished, although the
thickness of a dozen cocoons could not be measured; and this old cell
needs removing, that the bees may replace it with a new one. But how
shall it be done? This is a feat for the display of ingenuity. A common
man might go about it in a very sensible, simple manner, might possibly
turn the hive over, and cut out the old combs when necessary, without
knowing perhaps that the patent-vender could _sell_ a receipt to do the
thing _scientifically_, the benefit of which would be many times on the
principle of a surgeon cutting off your head, to get a good chance to
tie a small artery according to system; or would show you a roundabout
way of half a dozen miles to accomplish what the same number of rods
would do. Had we not ocular demonstration of the fact, we could not
suppose so many variations for the same end could be invented. But if
we reward ingenuity, it will be stimulated to great exertions. Perhaps
if we describe the merits of one or two of this class, the utility of
this principle may be comprehended.