OCTOBER 1, 1916 



The same apiary in winter quarters, showing 

 cases in which are housed the eight-frame hives. 



the two-colony cases. This also shows three eight-colony 



contain no bottom whatever, and in this way 

 I figure that two of the eases can be built 

 for about the same money that one of the 

 four-hive cases can. There is no disturb- 

 ance to the bees Avheu tiie cases are put on 

 in the fall. One man can set them up, 

 place them over the hives, and put in the 

 packing without any help. 



The cases are constructed to allow four 

 inches of packing material on the back and 

 two ends, and in front a space equal to the 

 distance the bottom-board extends beyond 

 the hive, which on my hives is only two 

 inches. The cases extend about eight inches 

 above the hive. This space I pack tightly 

 with good straw or leaves, and over all I 

 place the roof, which has a good water-tight 

 covering of composition - paper roofing. 

 These roofs have a two-inch strip all around 

 the sides which come down over the case 

 and prevent the water from working back 

 into the case and wetting the straw. The 

 cases extend about to the gTound and the 

 packing goes clear to the ground as tightly 

 as possible, making the case as warm as tho 

 it contained a bottom-board. 



I first place a queen-excluding board over 



The two-colony cases permit all the hives to face the south. 



the brood-chamber, then a burla^D blanket, 

 then a super filled with planer-shavings, 

 and the hive is ready to pack. I use no 

 sealed covers over the brood-chamber. Old 

 beemen with whom I have talked advise 

 against this. Why do you, Mr. Editor, ad- 

 vise this, and still advocate ventilation, 

 which they certainly do not get with a seal- 

 ed cover? [See Editorial. — Ed.] 



It will be noted that the case does not 

 quite touch the ground, and some may won- 

 der how it is held in place. To begin with, 

 a strip is placed over' the entrance-boards. 

 I use the wide entrance on the bottom-board 

 for winter, and lay the board flat upon it. 

 This I believe gives ventilation enough, and 

 the board prevents the packing from get- 

 ting into the entrance. Then I nail two 

 blocks on the inside of the front of the case 

 just high enough so that, when these blocks 

 rest on top of the board over the entrance, 

 the case will not quite touch the ground. 

 Then on the inside of the back I nail an- 

 other block directly in the middle of the 

 long way of the case and about ten inches 

 from the top. Then I take a two-inch 

 strip, notch it in one end so that it will rest 

 over the edge of the 

 hive-stand directly be- 

 tween the two hives 

 in back, and cut it to 

 such a length that, 

 when the back of the 

 packing-case is raised 

 and the other end of 

 this stick is placed un- 

 der file block on the 

 inside of the back of 

 the case, it will make 

 the case abdut level. 

 Muir, Mich, 



