226 Journal of Agriculture , Victoria. [lo April, 191 2. 



BEE-KEEPING IN VICTORIA. 



{Continued from page 179.) 



F. R. Beuhne, Bee Expert. 



IV.— Hives. 



The hive most generally in use in Victoria is the " Langstroth " either 

 •eight or ten frame. There are however a number of beekeepers who use 

 a modified form of the Heddon hive. Whatever hive is adopted the walls 

 should not be less than | inch in thickness, otherwise extremes of tempera- 

 ture will affect the bees, and during very hot weather combs may melt 

 down. All hives sold by manufacturers are made of |-inch wood, and 1 

 strongly ad\'ise beginners who intend to make their own hives not to use 

 thinner boards. 



The eight-frame Langstroth hive, as shown in Fig. 5, is made of |-inch 

 shelving, pine, or Californian redwood. It measures 20 in. by 13^ in. 

 outside, and is 9j inches deep, giving an inside measurement of i8j x i2g 

 X 9J. The ten-frame Langstroth is of the same length and depth, but of 

 16 inches outer and 14^ inches inner width, thus giving room for two more 

 frames. The end boards of the hive are rebated inside to a distance of 

 \ inch down and \ inch into the thickness of the board. On to the shoulder 

 of this rebate is nailed a runner of folded tin so as to project \ inch up- 

 wards. On this metal runner rest the top bars of the frames, and its 

 purpose is to prevent the crushing of bees when handling frames and to 

 avoid the gluing down of the latter by the bees. 



Two kinds of frames are sold by dealers, the Simplicity and the Hoff- 

 mann. The outer dimensions of both are the same, viz., lyf in. x 95 in., 

 with the top bar 19^ inch long, but while in the Simplicity, or loose hanging 

 frame, top, side and bottom bar are all of the same width, viz., \ inch, in 

 the Hoffmann, or self -spacing frame, the upper part of the side bars is 

 t| inch wide. When pushed close together in the hive, they give the correct 

 spacing of the combs, viz., i| inch, which is the a\'erage distance at which 

 bees build combs when in a state of nature. Eight or ten frames in the 

 respective hives leave a small space, this is occupied by a thin board of 

 the dimensions of the frames and called the follower and its object 

 \h to more easily remove or handle the frames after it is withdrawn. The 

 thickness of the bars of the Simplicity frame is top bar \ inch or | inch, 

 reduced to | inch at the projecting ends ; side bars | to 7-16 inch ; bottom 

 bar J to I inch. In the Hoffmann frame the thickness and width of the 

 top bar varies witli different manufacturers, American frames having a 

 top bar I inch wide and | inch thick, while sorne frames of local make 

 have a top bar | inch wide, and \ inch or f inch thick. The bottom bar is 

 f inch X \ inch in all the different makes. Whatever the thickness of the 

 bars the outside measurement of the frame is always the same. 



The Simplicity frame is the cheapest and easiest to uncap for the ex- 

 traction of honey, but, being a loose hanging frame, it has some serious 

 disadvantages. Each frame has to be spaced separately every time 

 bees are handled, and as there is a ^-inch space between the frames 

 when correctly spaced the bees will often build comb into these spaces and 

 on to the end wall of the hive. Further, every time a hive is moved the 



