Dec. I, 1911 



725 



side to save the combs 

 from breaking down, 

 and a great force re- 

 main inside to fan 

 and ventilate the 

 hive. This condition 

 is a direct loss to the 

 bee-keeper, to say 

 nothing of the torture 

 he is inflicting on 

 those who are so in- 

 dustriously working 

 for his dollars. The 

 material and method 

 o f construction o f 

 shade -boards are of 

 vital importance. I 

 have tried all kinds 

 of material — >^-inch 

 boards nailed to 

 cleats, but they are 

 too expensive as the 

 mill men charge for 

 inch boards. I have 

 used frames with can- 

 vas nailed on, but 

 they are too flimsy, 

 and blow off too free- 

 ly. I have been us- 

 ing for eight years a board made of build- 

 ers' lath and shingles that gives me the ut- 

 most satisfaction both in cost, durability, 

 and ease of construction. 



I use six-foot lath, and cut two three-foot 

 lengths for sides, and four two-foot lengths 

 for cross-pieces. I nail these together with 



Fig. 1.— Robertson's shade-boards, constructed of lath and shingles, show- 

 ing manner of nailing. 



inch wire nails like the left-hand illustra- 

 tion in Fig. 1, as shown above. I turn 

 down the nails and clinch tightly; then nail 

 shingles on as in the right-hand picture, 

 Fig. 1, turning the thick end of the shingle 

 to the outside edge of the board, except the 

 center ones. These I put on any way, as it 

 does not matter. 



The cost of these 

 boards runs about 10 

 cts. apiece, aside from 

 nails and labor. The 

 lath cost, at 40 cts. per 

 100, one cent; and the 

 shingles $8.00 per 1000, 

 which, with ten inches 

 to the weather, would 

 cover 200 square feet; 

 and as there are 6 feet 

 of surface in each 

 shade-board the cost 

 for shingles is 9 or 10 

 cts. complete. My 

 boards made eight 

 years ago are as good 

 to-day as when they 

 were made. 



Now as to the mode 

 of using them. My 

 hives face the south, 

 as we have a strong 

 local east wind during 

 May and June. At 

 night I walk round 

 and place a shade- 

 board on the east side 

 of the hive, a little to 

 the front, as in Fig. 2. 

 This shades the en- 

 trance up to 11 o'clock. 

 Then I put the board 

 on top of the hive, 



Fig. 2.— Shading the fronts ol the hives and the entrances In the morning, 



