224 



AUSTRALIAN BEE LORE AND BEE CULTURE- 



during summer and the woolly side in the winter, neither of the 

 two troubles named would have happened. Again, some good 

 practical bee-keepers object to the use of the quilt altogether. 

 That may do for men of exceptional experience, but to my mind 

 no hive is complete without a quilt. The hives with a flat cover 

 are the ones that are so used. Let us see. We cannot make sure 

 of bees being perfectly subdued without the aid of smoke. When 

 the flat cover is placed over the super, or over the brood-box, 

 there is sure to be some space between it and the upper hedges 

 of the hive that the bees object to, and stop up with propolis. 

 This always fixes these two portions of the hive firmly together, 

 and to separate these more or less force has to be a^pplied. The 

 result is that the cover comes away with a jerk, which always 

 greatly annoys the bees, after which a good deal of time is required 

 to subdue them to that frame of mind that will be congenial to the 

 bee-keeper; but where the quilt is used in the manner before des- 

 cribed, the cover is easily removed. The quilt is glued to the sides 

 of the hive instead of the cover. One corner of this is easily turned 

 back, the nozzle of the smoker applied to the opening, and the 

 bees are easily driven down. As the quilt is peeled off, so the 

 inmates can be driven away with the aid of smoke. Other material 

 than American cloth may be used. I have used leather, bagging, 

 tin, paper, &c., but I find nothing equal to that advised. 



6. For particulars of full-size Langstroth frame, see page 

 221 ; and also for 



7. Shallow frame for half -size super. 



8. Dummy or Division Board. This is similar in form to a 

 full-size frame. It is made of one piece of wood — that is, it is not 

 a frame, neither can it be so used. It is a very important adjunct 

 to all hives, both for full and half-size super, and alao for the 

 brood chamber. For the latter it is almost indispensable, especially 

 so when a new swarm is first hived. This is fully treated 

 under "Swarming." Where used in the supers the object of it is, 



as can be seen in the diagram, to keep the bees well together in the 

 early part of the honey flow or where supplies are coming in slowly. 

 It should be made §in. wider and deeper than a frame, so as to 

 pi event the bees from passing under or around it into the unoccu- 

 pied portion of the line. 



9. A cradle of 1 lb. sections. — For private use nothing in the 

 form of honey can be more tempting than these sections. They 

 are su<pposed to hold just 1 lb. The internal measurement is 4 in. 



