528 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [lo April, 1912. 



frames have to be secured in some way to prevent them knocking against 

 one another and crushing bees, and for these reasons self -spacing frames 

 ^re more advantageous. Tlie difference in the first cost between Simplicity 

 and self-spacing frames is only 2s. to 2s. 6d. per hundred frames. Wide 

 top bar Hoffmann frames as used in America are somewhat difficult to uncap 

 when extracting ; as the comb of honey when sealed does not project beyond 

 the wide top bar, it cannot be used as a guide for the uncapping knife, as 

 can be done with the Simplicity or the Hoffmann, with a | inch x | inch 

 top bar as shown in Figure 7. 



One drawback of Hoffmann frames is that the bees often fasten the side 

 bars of the frames together with wax or propolis. The latter is a sub- 

 stance gathered by the bees for the purpose of filling up any interstices 

 or crevices in the hive. It consists of resin, wattle-gum, tar, paint, cart- 

 grease, and similar substances. In some districts, propolis is a great 

 nuisance to the beekeeper. Some strains of bees will daub it everywhere 

 inside the hive. To overcome this difficulty, and also that of uncapping 

 Hoffmann wide top bar frames, .and yet have a self-spacing frame, a number 

 of apiarists, including the writer, have adopted the frame shown in Figure 

 8. It has a top bar |- inch wide. | inch thick^ bottom bar | inch x | inch, 

 and side bars ig- in. x h in. The top and bottom bars are nailed on so 

 that the side bar projects on the reverse side at the opposite end. The 

 spacing is obtained by four stout flat-headed nails driven into the side 

 bars and projecting J inch, as shown in the illustration (Fig. 8). These 

 frames are not stocked by manufacturers, but will be made to order if 

 ordered in sufficient quantities. They can however easily be made by any 

 one at all handy with tools, the only difference between them and the Sim- 

 plicity frames being that the side bars are i inch instead of -J inch, and 

 that the frames are nail spaced instead of loose hanging. 



The Heddon hanging frame hive, also known as the Bolton hive, is 

 what is called a sectional hive. The hive consists of shallow bodies 5f 

 inches deep, with self-spacing fram.es 5I inches deep. The advantages 

 •claimed for it are that it can be readily expanded or reduced in size ac 

 ■cording to conditions and season by adding or removing stories ; that 

 swarming can be prevented or controlled by means of inverting the sets 

 of frames at intervals, thus causing the destruction of queen cells, and 

 that shallow supers are easier to lift and handle when full of honey, and 

 the shallow combs easier to uncap than deep ones. 



As an offset against these advantages, it must be mentioned that the 

 Heddon hive costs more, that double the number of combs have to be 

 handled when extracting, and that the splitting up of the hi^'e into so 

 many sets of frames bv the intervening bee spaces has a tendency to re 

 tard breeding up in spring. 



In connexion with this, I should like to say that the correct bee space 

 between set of frames in the stories of a hive is \ inch. In the hives pur- 

 chased from manufacturers too much allowance is made (generally) for 

 shrinkage of timber, leaving up to f inch between the stories. This excessive 

 space first acts as a great check on the bees entering the super in spring, 

 while later on it is filled with comb and honey, and is a hindrance and 

 nuisance every time a hive is opened, also causing the death of many bees 

 when frames are replaced in supers without first removing the pieces of 

 comb which connected the upper and lower frames. With a \ inch bee 

 space between the stories there will be little or no bur comb. 



(To be continued.) 



