The Stewarton, or Ayrshire Hive
The Stewarton Hive is so often spoken of, and in such favourable terms, by bee-keepers, that we deem it necessary to give it a place here, and to supply some explanation of its construction and management. We consider this especially needful, as some of the principles of its management are so imperfectly understood, that frequent mistakes are made, and also because, for the convenience of bee-keepers, we keep a supply of these hives on hand.
The name is derived from their having been first manufactured at Stewarton, in Scotland; and they are still made so well, and at so moderate a price in that country, that London workmen are unable to compete in their manufacture. Our supply is therefore from that source; so that, with a little addition for carriage, the price approximates that of the makers themselves, affording a convenience to many of our apiarian friends in being able to obtain these hives in London.
Our engraving shows the four boxes set up. These constitute the hive. We will suppose that the young bee-keeper has just received the four octagonal boxes, with the bundles of grooved slides (of which there are nearly forty); about one half of these slides are short pieces, similarly cut to the longer ones. These are to fill up the openings where the slides are not put in, or are required to be withdrawn, as hereafter explained. He will find himself in possession of four boxes so neatly dove-tailed on the bevel, that, if he be of a mechanical turn, he will not only be surprised at the way in which they are put together, but also at the price for which they are offered. Three of the boxes, A, B, C, technically called “body boxes,” are precisely similar, each being fourteen inches in diameter and five and a half inches deep inside. Nine bars range along the top of each box. These are not movable, but are so constructed to induce the correct and regular building of the combs. The fourth box, D, is the depriving box or super, is only four inches deep, and the same in diameter as the others. This being the honey-box, it is furnished with seven wide fixed bars, instead of nine, because, as stated at page 93, bees construct deeper receptacles to contain the honey than for breeding in: thus, should the queen go up into this compartment, she may find the cells are too much elongated to enable her to reach the base, when her body is inserted for the purpose of depositing an egg. We have too much confidence in her majesty’s sagacity to expect her to make such an attempt in honey-cells thus elongated; doubtless she will only look and pass on, seeking more suitable depositories, and confine her nursery to those lower regions where she is welcome. The honey is thus kept pure, and that which not unfrequently mars the qualify of a super—viz., cells that either contain brood or have been bred in—is prevented. Each box is furnished with two small windows, back and front, closed by sliding shutters, by which opportunity is afforded for inspecting the progress made, and also of knowing when the time has arrived that the cells are filled and the box may be taken away.
Each of the boxes, A, B, C, is furnished with an entrance-way, four inches wide, half an inch high, a wooden slide either wholly or partially closing same, as required. When at work, the bees only need one entrance open, and that at the lowest box. The long slides before mentioned are pushed in to their respective receptacles from the back of the hive, to close the openings between the bars; those of them that are shorter will be seen to belong to the sides of the octagon, and the ends are cut angular to suit the form of the box. A little examination will suffice to show the right allotment of the slides, the appropriation of which may be said somewhat to resemble the putting together of a child’s puzzle.
The box B must be left open at the interstices that correspond with the box A, placed above, the little openings being closed by the insertion of the ten sections of slides, thus leaving free communication inside with the upper box A, and admitting of no outlet for the bees, except at the entrance.
When the four boxes are placed above each other, the structure measures twenty-two inches high.
The Scotch carpenters send no floor-board, and no covering or roof for the top to shoot off the rain; they evidently expect that the purchaser is provided with a shed or bee-house of some kind, and also with a floor-board. Should the apiarian, however, not have these necessaries, we can supply the deficiency.
The sides of the boxes are furnished with wooden buttons, which, when turned round, keep each box exactly in its place above the other: there are also projecting irons or screw heads for tying the two boxes A and B together, preparatory to hiving the swarm; or if the boxes stand out exposed, all may be thus secured, to prevent their being blown over by high winds.
Directions for Management
Take the two boxes A and B, made one by the junction before mentioned, and similarly inside by the free communication afforded. Shake the swarm in as described at page 28, just as with a common cottage hive.
If the weather be favourable, these two boxes will be nearly filled in ten days. To get the full advantage of the Stewarton hive the first year, put two swarms into two body boxes, A and B; if the two are too small, then add the other box C. Allow the bees to remain there till they have nearly filled the body boxes with comb, which (with this increased number of workers, and in favourable weather) should be from five to ten days. Two swarms are seldom procurable the same day, so as then to be joined together, and even if they were, there is a doubt whether greater progress may not be attained by hiving a swarm a week or so earlier than the other, so as to build comb and raise brood ready for the reception of the new comers.
The second swarm is added best in the evening, after the bees have ceased working. For this purpose spread a sheet on the ground, place two sticks so as to prevent the box being close to the ground, then, with a sudden knock, eject the bees of the second swarm on to the cloth, and place the two body boxes that contain the earlier swarm over the dislodged bees; these will, in the course of an hour or so, ascend and become one family, and one of the queens will be speedily destroyed.
In the meantime, prepare the shallow honey-box D, by fixing small pieces of worker guide-comb, of pure white colour, on the centre of each side bar. If, however, a box of honey with neatly made, straight, and quite regular comb be desired, a piece of this guide-comb must be fixed to the centre of each bar. If guide-comb be unobtainable, strips of the impressed wax sheets or artificial comb (hereafter described) will be found excellent substitutes.12
When selecting guide-comb, avoid combs with drone-cells; to fix these is setting the bees a bad pattern. Honey stored in drone-combs has more wax, and is coarser in appearance and taste. Having satisfied yourself, by peeping in at the windows, and from symptoms at the entrance, that the original boxes are well filled, place your prepared honey-box on the top, draw a slide at each side of the middle box to afford communication, and insert the little plugs. It is not so well to withdraw the middle slides, because the queen is more likely to ascend from the centre. When you notice that the bees have fairly commenced work in the honey-box and are likely to keep to it, the remaining box C may be added below the stock, which will afford additional room and prevent swarming, exchanging the entrance to the newly-furnished box and sliding in pieces wood to close the aperture of that above.
Should the bees begin making comb in the bottom box, draw two more slides for freer access into the super, as there will then be little risk of the queen ascending, having so much range for egg-laying in the three lower boxes.
In very fine weather, a good swarm or stock will fill a honey-box in the space of two weeks; but a much longer time is usually occupied.
The more quickly the box is filled, the purer will be the colour of the comb and honey, because bees very much discolour their work when they have it long on hand. Before taking off the honey-box, observe particularly that the combs are well sealed at the windows, because, as mentioned at page 83, this portion of the work is always left till the last.
When you see that all is ready for the removal of a box, select the middle of a fine day for the purpose (not omitting to don the bee-armour). Draw out one or two of the slides, and give the bees a few gentle puffs, either of fungus or of tobacco smoke, from the tube fumigator, which will cause the majority of the bees to descend into the body of the hive; then stop the communication, by pushing in the slides. Next, with a spatula, make a slight opening for a piece of strong thin twine at the front of the box, and immediately behind the thread two thin wedges; with the two ends in hand, work the twine gently forward, bringing the wedges, after, until the opposite side is reached. This will remove any obstruction caused by the bees having attached their combs to the top of the next box, and thus leave the super entirely free for removal. It will be as well, for the reasons stated at page 58, not to remove the box immediately. After waiting an hour, the box may be taken off, and conveyed to a quiet place. Should any bees remain, they will be glad, after their confinement, to escape to the parent hive; or if you have an empty hive to put over, by gently drumming the sides, the remaining bees will ascend and leave the box at your disposal. The bees driven into the empty box may now be shaken out in front of the mouth of the hive. Another plan is to cut off the communication over night, and raise the hive on wedges, as recommended to be adopted with the super (page 73).
Before winter sets in, the box C may be removed and the comb it contains (if well filled) be used for consumption: if the comb be empty, let it remain carefully preserved from moth and insects; it will be invaluable next season. Empty comb may be thus preserved by tying or pasting a piece of stout newspaper closely round the bottom, and keeping the box in a dry place.
Feeding, when required, may be liberally pursued, by withdrawing two slides and supplying a bottle-feeder. Enough food should be given in the early autumn to last until spring.
The chief value of the Stewarton hive consists in the boxes being shallow, so that the combs are more likely to be well filled down to the base. This is a great advantage with supers, particularly when required to be sent to a distance, as there is less likelihood of the combs breaking down. A fine super of honey, that would be valuable, is materially depreciated when it reaches its destination in a damaged state, with the honey running from the cells. For the same reason, when the weather is hot and the rays of the sun fall on the hive, the combs might part from their foundations if there were no intermediate bars, which is now the case in the stock-hive, composed as it is of two boxes. If these two boxes were in one, the depth of each comb would be twelve inches; and when filled with brood and honey, would probably weigh 10 lbs. This is a great weight to be supported in hot summer weather, when the wax is softened by the heat. Another distinguishing feature that the Stewarton hive possesses is the use of the box C, which, by giving increased room, as the season advances, prevents what is often an annoyance to the apiarian, viz., a late swarm—too late to be of any value, and impoverishing the stock by a division of its numbers, thereby perhaps impeding the completion of the super. A further advantage of the box c, is that it induces the bees (who frequently hang in dusters about the entrance) to carry on their labours instead of remaining in enforced idleness.
We often receive from Scotland magnificent boxes of honey; the fine quality is no doubt to be attributed to good pasturage, and to the fact of keeping the stocks strong (see page 19), by adopting the means before hinted at; and thus having hives well stored and well populated early in the season, so that they may betimes take full advantage of supplies of nectar in the flowers. Early honey is generally the best in colour.
The old proverb runs:—“It is the early bird that finds the worm.” The hive that is strong is certain to produce the most honey. To make this plain, we will suppose that a bee-keeper has a weakly hive; it will take some weeks, if not months, to grow populous; and as soon as the strength of the hive has recovered, the honey season will have advanced, if not ended, whilst the strong stocks have been able to take full advantage of the supplies, having an abundance of labourers to collect the honey and store it in supers for their master. To induce the bees to build quickly, cover up the super with as much warm woollen covering as you can, as recommended for glasses, page 65.
In fine seasons, and under good management, extra supers and body boxes (the latter to be used as “nadirs”) maybe required to place above and below the supers and nadirs partly filled, in order to reap the full benefit of the honey season; for with strong colonies one box after another may be inserted, till the whole towers from six to ten boxes high. This plan is, indeed, collecting honey while the sun shines, but requires a greater amount of apiarian skill and good pasturage to carry on in its entirety than is generally possessed. In other words, we in the south may find it difficult to rival our accomplished brother-apiarians north of the Tweed, for they do wonders with the Stewarton hive.
Notes
12 The body boxes may be prepared in a similar manner.