US330478A - Bee-hive - Google Patents

Description

. (No Model.)

W. P. HAMLIN.

BBB HIVE.

No. 330,478. Patented Nov, 17, 1885.

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STATES WILLIAM P. HAMLIN, OF ROGERS, ARKANSAS.

BEE-HIVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 330,%78, dated November 17, 1885.

Application filed July 15, 1885.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM P. HAMLIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rogers, in the county of Benton and State of Arkansas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bee-Hives, of which the following :is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to an improvement in bee-hives; and it consists in the peculiar construction and combination of devices that will be more fully set forth hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a beehive embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken at right angles to Fig. 2.

A represents the end boards of the hive, which are provided on their outer sides with the metallic battens B. These end boards have flanges G on their inner sides at their edges, as shown.

D represents a series of hon ey-frames, which are of the usual construction and which equal in width the space between the flanges of the end boards. These frames are provided at their outer sides, near their lower ends, with keepers E. Dowel-pins F project from one side of each of the honey-frames and enter openings made in the opposing side of the adjoining frame. The frames are placed side by side,and the end boards are placed one on each end of the series of frames, and are clamped thereto by means of screw-threaded rods G, that pass through the battens and on the outer sides or ends of the frames and through the keepers thereon. By this construction it will be readily understood that the hive is composed of the end boards and the frames clamped together, the sides of the hive being formed by the vertical end bars of the frames.

It has been the common practice heretofore in the construction of bee-hives to make an outer case or hive and to suspend or place the honey-frames therein. This manner of constructing the hives is disadvantageous, for the reason that the bees, following their instinct, deposit wax in the cracks or spaces between the ends of the frames and the sides of the hive, and thereby render it difficult to remove the frames Serial No. 171,708. (No model.)

from the hive, as the wax must be first out or broken before doing so; and, moreover, the time thus spent by the bees is wasted, thus entailing a loss upon the bee-keeper. In my hive the sides are formed by the joined ends of the frames, and consequently the bees proceed directly to fill the frames and do not waste their efforts.

In the lower edge of one of the end boards are out notches H, to admit the bees to the hive, and the bottom bars of the frames are at a suitable distance above the lower edges of the hive, thus leaving a chamber, 1, below the frames. The bottom and top bars of the frames D are narrowed, leaving spaces between the frames for the ready passage of the bees. These frames D extend about two-thirds the height of the end boards, and above the lower frames, D,are placed aseries of smaller frames, K, between the end boards, which form a honey-chamber for the storage of surplus honey, the lower frames, D,constituting the broodchamber. The frames K are slightly shorter than the spaces between the flanges G of the end boards, and on the ends of these frames, between them and the flanges G, are slipped end boards, L, which form the outer sides of the surplus-honey chamber. Above the hive is placed a cap or cover, M, having a depending flange that fits closely around the sides and ends of the hive. Knobs N project from the outer sides of the sliding boards L, to facilitate in removing them in order to expose the frames K.

When it is desired to take the hive apart for the purpose of collecting the honey, dividing the bees'into two or more swarms, or to exterminate moths,the cap and slides L are first removed, and then the bee-keeper, by means of a smoker, drives the bees from the honey-chamber down into the brood-chamber, when the honey-frames K are removed anda bee-trap of suitable construction (which is not here'shown or'described, as it forms no part of this invention) is placed on the upper side of the frames D. The bees are then driven up from the brood-chamber into the trap, and the latter, containing the bees, is removed. The hive is then taken to pieces by unscrewing the rods G and taking off one of the end boards, which exposes the interior of the brood-chamber, and the frames D can then be removed one by one, as will be very readily understood.

In order to separate the bees to prevent them from swarming,and to stock a new hive, one-half of the frames D, containing one-half of the young brood and a queen-cell, are re moved and placed in a new hive and their places filled with empty frames. The bees in the trap are then divided and the queen bee and halfthe bees areput back in the old hive, when the bees will go to work immediately as though nothing had happened. The remaining half of the bees are introduced into the new hive containing a portion of the young brood and the queen-cell.

A bee-hive thus constructed is exceedingly cheap and simple, is easily taken care of, and renders very remunerative returns to the beekeeper.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. A beehive composed of the end boards, A, having flanges O, the frames D, forming the broodchamber and clamped between the end boards, the frames K above frames D frames D, having the keepers E on their outer I sides, the end boards, A, and the screw-rods passed through the end boards,and the keepers for clamping the frames and end boards together, substantially as described.

3. The combination in a bee-hive, of the end boards, the framesD, clamped between them to form the-brood-chamber, the frames K above the brood-chamber and communicating therewith, to form the surplus-honey chamber, and the slides L between the end boards on the ends of the surplus honey-chamber, to permit access to the latter, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereunto aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM P. HAMLIN.

Witnesses:

J. WADE SIKEs, JOHN W. PHELEN.

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