THE EVOLUTION OF THE BEE-HIVE. 217 



neater, but, being put together with nails, the joints are more 

 secure than when the wood is cut on the square, and put together 

 flush. 



The body of the modern complete hive, other than super and 

 frames is composed of three sections or parts, the hive proper or 

 brood chamber, the floor-board, and the cover. A brood chamber 

 is synonymous with a full-size super, or vice versa. These three 

 parts are indispensable. Bees may be kept without super or even 

 without frame, but then that would take us back to the gin-case 

 age of bee-keeping. 



The diagrams of the Langstroth hive and the various sec- 

 tional parts thereof will greatly facilitate the hive maker in con- 

 structing home-made hives. 



The American measurements, as stated by Root in his "ABC 

 of Bee Culture " are now generally adopted. The body of the 

 hive is 9^- inches deep, 13| inches wid-e, and 20 inches long. 

 There are outside measurements. These cannot be followed unless 

 the wood of which they are constructed is of uniform thickness, 

 and that gauge always adhered to. The thickness of the wood of 

 these hives when dressed is ^ inch ; therefore, to get the inside 

 measure, which is always best to follow especially in home-made 

 hives, where the wood obtainable is of various thicknesses, | 

 inch will have to be subtracted from the dimensions above given 

 — that is, 8| inches deep, 13 inches wide and 19| inches 

 long. The modern Langstroth Simplicity Hives are now generally 

 made with bevelled edges, so that the lower edge of the super fits 

 closely over the upper of that of the brood chamber. In this case 

 the floor-board should have a corresponding convex bevel for the 

 lower side of the brood-box to fit thereto, otherwise the space is 

 too great underneath the sides, and_ is therefore liable to be uti- 

 lised by the bees for storage purposes when pressed for room. 

 The advanta.ge is that the rain cannot drive in through the con- 

 nections ; but as machinery is necessary for forming correct junc- 

 tions between the two parts (brood-box and super), home-made 

 hives are excluded from that advantage. Provided they are care- 

 fully and accurately worked, there is no reason why the square 

 edges should not be almost as impervious to the weather as bevelled 

 ones. In the Heddon Hive it is so, the one portion of the hive 

 merely resting on the upper portion of the other. The ones I have 

 in use are in no way damper than those bevelled. Where the flat 

 or square edges are used there is not the objection met with where 

 the bevelled edges give extra and unrequired space immediately 



