30- 

 Let tte beekeeper make this his standard of excellence: There is to be* 

 in his apiary in the autumn no more colonies than there were on the first 

 day of April, and no swarms are to be allowed to get away. There ire 

 men in the Province attaining this standard right along, and they are the 

 ones who get the bumper crops of honey. Furthermore their worK among 

 the bees is trifling compared with the time wasted by others gathering in 

 three and four swarms from each hive. A first-class colony in a good season 

 will need at least two extra bodies and frequently three. But they must 

 all be ready by the first of May in most parts of the Province. 



On unpacking a hive received in the flat set the four pieces on edge, and 

 Bide by side to see if they are all the same width. Goods of indifferent 

 make are far too common in this part of the world, and it is nothing un- 

 usual to find a variation of an eighth, a quarter, and even as much as three- 

 eightr.s -of an inch. These should be rejected without hesitation as first- 

 class wares can be bought just as cheaply. 



Another important feature is the character of the joint. The beekeep- 

 ing world as a whole prefers the lock-joint, often known as the dove-tail, 

 as it is much the strongest and the easiest to fit together. As a matter of 

 fact first-class beeware is so finely made that it could be put together in 

 the best room in the house without making more untidiness than a child 

 playing with a toy. These points are insisted on thus strongly because- 

 the beekeepers in British Columbia have not as a rule been getting the 

 quality to which they were entitled, for the price they paid. 



The half check joint is much weaker than the lock-joint and therefore 

 must be nailed much more. At least four nails should be driven on each 

 ide, making a total of thirty-two to the chamber. 



Once the four pieces are fastened together, the rabbet-tins should be 

 nailed in position. The best made have one edge folded over about one- 

 eighth of an inch. This part rests on the bottom of the rabbet, so there is 

 no difficulty in placing the tins in their proper position. But it is different 

 with the plain tins for there is no guide where they should be put. If the 

 beekeeper will remember the necessity for the bee-space he will have no 

 trouble. If it be located at the top of the hive let him drop in a frame 

 against the tin, then adjust the latter until the top-bar of the frame is 

 just three-eighths of an inch from the edge of the hive. If the bee-space 

 be at the bottom then make the top-bar of the frame flush with the upper 

 edge of the hive. 



ON FRAMES AND FOUNDATION. 



These subjects were dealt with eo thoroughly in the previous bulletin 

 that experience in the field suggests very little additional matter. In the 

 first place foundation must be used even if it be only a strip. The bees 

 will not follow a bar because it happens to be there, but they will accept 

 the line marked out by foundation. All in all it is false economy to use 

 onfy a narrow strip as this leaves to the bees the choice of the size of cell 

 they make. From the standpoint of the beekeeper they use poor judgment 

 as too frequently they build thousands of drone cells; sometimes as much 

 as thirty-three per cent, of the whole comb will be of this variety. This 

 is detrimental in at least two ways. First, it prevents by that much the 

 breeding of workers w r ho are the only honey gatherers and so lessens the 

 honey-crop; second it brings into existence thousands of drones who bring 

 in no honey; worse still it has been estimated that each drone consumes^ 



