448 AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



long enough to cover the hive crosswise 

 of the frames ; 5/16 of an, inch on one 

 edge of those is bent to a right angle to 

 rest on the comb-frame, the top of which 

 should be just one bee-space below the 

 level of the top of the hive, the fiat edge 

 of first placed of said pieces rests on the 

 edge of the hive, and each succeeding 

 piece rests on the one previously placed 

 until the last is reached, when it is re- 

 versed, and is supported the same as the 

 first one. 



By using this zinc in some such man- 

 ner, the upper frames are within two 

 bee-spaces of the lower ones. While in 

 using it by the Heddon-Tinker plan they 

 are three bee-spaces apart, and a bee- 

 space in the hive I use contains fully 50 

 cubic inches, while in the Langstroth it 

 is about 70, which means that amount 

 of space to be filled with bees for noth- 

 ing, as there is not, or should not be, 

 any comb there. 



SUPEB FOR COMB-HONEY. 



As it is very desirable for comb-honey 

 producers to have well-devised supers, I 

 will show and explain to you a super 

 which I brought to light on June 1», 

 1891. [See page 377.] 



A matter of no little importance in a 

 bee-hive is to have the comb-frames 

 spread to a proper distance apart ; they 

 can, we confess, be spaced considerably 

 wider in the surplus hives than in the 

 brood-chamber— in the latter 1 5/16 

 inches from center to center is sufficient, 

 while in the former 1% inches is not too 

 much. Care should be used in suspend- 

 ing the frames to have as small a por- 

 tion of them touch the hives as possible. 

 All hives, of course, require a bee- 

 entrance at the bottom, and a board or 

 other covering. . 



This brings us to the exterior of the 

 hive where there is nothing very ma- 

 terial to note, other than if the hive was 

 to stand the weather it is better to be 

 well painted, but if protected by an 

 outer case, it is better without paint, 

 and costs that much less. I feel con- 

 vinced that a colony of bees will winter 

 better in an unpainted hive than m a 

 painted one. 



WINTERING BEES. 



This brings me to the second part of 

 my essay, or wintering. On this subject 

 I will be brief, and as I have discarded 

 cellar or indoor wintering I have con- 

 cluded to merely describe the clamp I 



use. , . ^ I,- 



It is built to accommodate two hives 

 deep in Summer, that is by tiering, 

 while in Winter it affords three inches 

 of packing under the hive, four inches 



around, and as much as you wish above. 

 The bottom fits inside to allow the sides 

 to run any water over ; the siding lies 

 horizontally, the joints are bevelled or 

 ship-lapped, it is shanty roofed, and 

 the roof is shingled. 



The siding for the front and back is 

 nailed to two narrow strips that do not 

 quite extend to the bottom or top. When 

 the clamp is constructed, they stand on 

 the bottom, while they require to be 

 short of reaching the top to allow the 

 rafters a rest inside. By using strips in 

 the corner, the clamp is much stronger, 

 and no care need be used to break joints, 

 and should you wish to knock them 

 down in Summer there would not be so 

 many pieces, but it is quite unnecessary 

 to do so, as no better sunshade could be 

 provided. 



There are three boards in each bottom, 

 the two outer ones being nailed to two 

 strips for the hive to rest on, while the 

 center board is left loose, to be removed 

 in Summer to allow a current of air to 

 pass through the clamps. 



The front of the roof requires to be 

 raised a little to give sufficient ventila- 

 tion, and there are just two rafters 

 which are fitted inside of the ends to 

 hold the roof in place. A board of 

 proper width is placed between the in- 

 terior of the clamp and front of the hive, 

 to allow the bees an opening through 

 the packing ; this board is nailed to two 

 bevelled pieces, which forms the ends of 

 the entrance. There are two tin slides, 

 with a hole punched in each, to afford a 

 catch in opening or contracting the en- 

 trance. 



Before closing the hive, the clamp is 

 filled to the level of the bottom pieces, 

 with ashes, cork-dust, chaff, or any 

 other packing, and when the hive and 

 entrance fixtures are in position, fill in 

 all around with packing, but not over 

 the top until you see that provision is 

 made for the moisture to escape through 

 the covering of the hive. 



I trust that my explanations have 

 been sufficiently explicit, and of benefit 

 to you.— Bead at the Ontario Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Convention. 

 Poole, Ont. 



Bee-KeepinE in Kentucky. 



WM. BOONK. 



My 10 colonies of bees are in good 

 condition, many of them having their 

 central combs one-third full of eggs and 

 brood in all stages. My bees are hybrids, 



