GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



body staples are driven, and the tin rabbets 

 of the frame hang on these. The result is 

 a slotted partition down the middle of the 

 body, and the rabbets on it level with those 

 along the sides, and the bottom of the par- 

 tition is flush with the bottom edge of the 

 body. The partition is y% inch wide. The 

 lop slat is 1/2 inch thick, and the others are 

 14 inch, and spaced 14 i"ch apart. To pre- 

 vent the partition from swinging, a staple 

 is driven into the bottom of each end. They 

 are allowed to project so they bind against 

 the body ends. All of this will be plain by 

 consulting Fig's. 1 and 2. 



The little frames, which are 51/2 inches 

 deep by 6^/4 long, have short ends to top- 

 bars; are end-staple spaced, and made of 

 stock y% inch wide. Top and end bars are 

 % inch thick, and bottom-bar is ^4 inch 

 thick. If I were making new ones I would 

 use stoe-k one inch wide. Twelve of these 

 little frames go on each side of the partition 

 and spacing, and supports are such that 

 trouble from propolizing is reduced to a 

 minimum. 



Ijneen-matin? nucleus hive showing outer and inner cover (a corner of the 

 slatted partition used in the stock hive showing in the background.) 



The nucleus box is shown in Fig. 3. It 

 consists of two boxes made of stock 1/4 inch 

 thick, the outer box being 81/2 inches square 

 by TVs inches liigh outside measure. The 

 inner box is 7% inches square by 5% inches 

 high, outside measure. Between the two at 

 bottom, and around all sides, is a double 

 thickness of wool felting. Metal rabbets 

 close the top of the felt-filled space on two 

 sides, and strips of wood are similarly used 

 on the other two sides. The entrance is a 

 half-inch hole bored on a slight upward 

 slant, the under side of the inner end being 

 flush with upper surface of the floor of the 



inner box. A tin tube lines the entrance 

 passage, preventing air or moisture getting 

 in between the boxes at that point. Frames 

 hang side to the entrance. A strip of fold- 

 ed felt one inch wide is nailed about the 

 upper edge of the box as shown, and this 

 serves to make the cover virtually air-tight, 

 and prevents its blowing oft'. The inner 

 cover is a square board i/4 inch thick, the 

 upper surface felt-covered and eleated. The 

 uuter cover is of good heavy tin, with hem- 

 med edges, and painted white inside and 

 out. It is two inches deep. All of the felt 

 is lightly oiled with thin mineral machine 

 oil to prevent the depredations of moths 

 and to lessen the effect of moisture. 



The feeders for the nucleus hives are 

 simply miniatures of the division-board 

 type. One of these filled with soft sugar is 

 used in each nucleus. A feederful will 

 usually last through the season, the amount 

 consumed varying with the supply of nectar 

 secured. Any of the fondant sugar candies 

 will do as well; but where a satisfactory 

 moist sugar can be bought it is easier to use 

 and is cheaper. 



Except for the white 

 tin covers, everything 

 pertaining to queen- 

 a'aising is painted a 

 light slate color. This 

 is to facilitate the work 

 — no guessing as to 

 what is inside a " su- 

 per" of that color, and 

 no wondering where a 

 " stock chamber " was 

 put, if it was set on 

 some colony for stock- 

 ing with bees or hon- 

 ey- 



The nucleus boxes 

 cost 18 cents per pair, 

 including inner cover; 

 rabbets and tube for 

 entrance 2 cents for 

 each hive; tin covers, 

 16 cents each; cleats, 

 etc., 3 cents per hive. Felt was scrap I got 

 from a mill, and I cannot tell what it would 

 cost, but probably an equivalent could be 

 bought for not to exceed 5 cents per hive. 

 Tills makes the total cost of a nucleus hive 

 witliout feeder 44 cents. Paint and labor is 

 extra. Frames cost 2 cents each. Any one 

 trying such an outfit, and working from my 

 figures, should be sure to use supers 16 

 inches wide. If supers 161/4 inches wide 

 are used, the slatted partitions will need to 

 be 1/4 inch thicker. 



OPERATION. 



The use of this equipment is simplicity 



