> It is a frame or two with glass panes to contain the bees and it appears to me that it requires manipulation for it to even happen. How do you draw conclusion from this unnatural state?
A reasonable objection, however any observation hive is infinitely more natural than a hive that has been broken open. Also Huber did all of his experiments with a one frame thick observation hive. Then he repeated all of them with the Huber leaf hive. No observation was different between the two. I think you can be assured that, other than the limited space, they act exactly the same with multiple frames.
"After having for a long time watched the bees in glazed hives, constructed in the way indicated by Mr. de R?aumur, you perceived, Sir that their shape was not favorable to the observer, because these hives are too wide, the bees building in them two rows of parallel combs, and consequently all that happens between those combs is lost for the observer: from this correct remark, you advised the use for naturalists of much narrower hives, the panes of which should be so close together that there would be room between them for only one row of combs. I followed your advice; I made hives an inch and a half (38mm) only in thickness and I had no trouble in hiving swarms in them. But we cannot rely upon the bees to construct a single comb; they never derogate, when they are not constrained by some particular disposition: therefore if left to themselves in our thin hives, as they could not build two parallel combs in the length of the hive, they would construct several small ones perpendicular to it and all that would happen between them would be equally lost for the observer: one must therefore arrange the combs beforehand. I have them placed so that their plan is perpendicular to the horizon and their lateral surfaces three or four lines (3 lines=1/4 in.=6mm. 4 lines=1/3 in.=8.5mm) from the panes of the hive, on each side. This distance gives the bees sufficient freedom, but prevents them from collecting in too thick clusters upon the surface of the combs. With these precautions, the bees establish themselves easily in such narrow hives; they do their work with the same assiduity and order, and as there are no cells which are not exposed to view, we are sure that they cannot conceal any of their actions.
"Description of Hive Invented by the Author
"It is true that by compelling these bees to be content with a habitation, in which they could build but one single row of comb, I had, to a certain point, changed their natural condition, and this circumstance might alter their instinct more or less. Therefore, to obviate any kind of objection, I devised a hive which, without losing the advantage of thin hives, approached the shape of the common hives in which bees construct several parallel rows of combs. I will give here the description in a few words:
(a long description of the construction of the "Leaf Hive")...
"I have repeated all my observations in hives of this shape and the results were exactly the same as in the thin-nest hives. I thus believe that I have obviated all the objections that might be made upon the supposed inconveniences of my flat hives. Besides, I have no regret of having repeated all my work; by going over the same observations several times, I am much more certain of having avoided error, and I have found in these hives (which I will call book or leaf hives) several advantages which make them very useful in the economic treatment of bees. I will detail them afterwards, if you permit me."--Francis Huber, Huber's new observations on Bees Volume I 1st Letter
