27 



far too common. Little wonder is it that the bees seize the first oppor- 

 tunity to move to new and cleaner quarters. 



Another mechanical obstruction that was found to be almost universal 

 was the heavy accumulation of wax and propolis along the top-bars of the 

 frames. All good beekeepers scrape the top-bars clean along in the month 

 of May at the latest. It is a simple job, all over in a minute, but the 

 inspectors usually found the deposit of years as much as one and two inches 

 thick, and solid across the frames from side to side of the hive. As many 

 as three layers of cotton quilting have been found embedded in the accumu- 

 lations, with a pop-hole here and there. Now there are needed many 

 thousands of bees passing into and out of a super all the time when the 

 honey-flow is on, so it is utterly impossible for bees to store surplus honey 

 with such conditions. 



In many parts along the lower Fraser River there is in use a modern 

 style hive that has a very objectionable entrance. The board is the width 

 of the hive, and about a couple of inches longer. At the front end there 

 has been gouged out a V-shaped cavity that extends back a few inches. The 

 idea underlying the construction is this, in winter the entrance can be 

 contracted by pushing back the hive until the rear is flush with the bottom- 

 board, on the other hand by hauling the hive forward in summer the door- 

 way will be enlarged. The theory sounds all right, but if we adjust to 

 summer conditions we find that while the entrance viewed from the out- 

 side looks large, an examination on the inside shows that it is only about 

 three inches wide, and this as we have seen is far too small for the com- 

 fort and convenience of the bees, so swarming is encouraged. In not a 

 few instances it was found during very hot weather that the young larvae 

 had been cooked by the high temperature inside the hive that could not be 

 reduced on account of the small opportunity for ventilation. 



There is still another risk with this entrance, it is apt to be a winter 

 killer of the inmates. Again and again cases of winter losses were met 

 with where this bottom-board was in use and a little questioning showed 

 that the deaths were probably due to suffocation. During very cold weather 

 the moisture given off by the breathing of the bees condenses into water 

 on the sides of the hive, runs down to the bottom-board, and on meeting 

 the frosty air at the entrance is formed into ice, which in time seals up the 

 passageway so tightly that no fresh air can enter. The smaller the 

 entrance, the quicker will asphyxiation occur. When set as recommended 

 by the maker for winter use the entrance of this bottom-board is about one 

 inch wide by less than three-eighths of an inch in height. 



It is strongly recommended that where this bottom-board is in use that 

 a cleat one-quarter of an inch thick and almost an inch wide be nailed on 

 both sides and the end for the hive to rest on, so that an entrance the full 

 width of the hive may be secured. For summer use, nail similar cleats, 

 but an inch thick on the other side of the bottom-board, and turn this side 

 up when the hives become strong, probably about the beginning of May. 



The inspectors cannot finish this portion of their remarks without point- 

 ing out that much as they have emphasised the topic of ventilation, they 



feel they cannot lay too much stress upon it. 



I 



THE BEE SPACE. 



In Bulletin No. 30 quite a considerable time was devoted to explaining 

 the importance of the bee-space in a hive, for modern beekeeping is prac- 



