Chamber Hive
Categories:
HIVES.
Bee Keeping:
Mysteries Of Bee-keeping Explained
The chamber hive is made with two apartments; the lower and largest is
for the permanent residence of the bees, the upper or chamber for the
boxes. Its merits are these: the chamber affords all the protection
necessary for glass boxes; considered as a cover, it is never lost. Its
demerits are inconvenience in handling; it occupies more room if put in
the house in the winter; if glass boxes are used, only one end can be
seen, and this may be full when the other may hold some pounds yet, and
we cannot possibly know until it is taken out. I know we are told to
return such boxes when not full "and the bees will soon finish them,"
but this will depend on the yield of honey at the time; if abundant, it
will be filled; if not, they will be very likely to take a hint, and
remove below what there is in the box; whereas if the chamber was
separate from the hive, and was not a chamber but a loose cap to cover
the boxes, it could be raised at any time without disturbing a single
bee, and the precise time of the boxes being filled ascertained, (that
is, when they are of glass.)