44 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEBPE«. 



March,! 



and bottom board, with the alighting 

 board in position and the entrance 

 open. 



Fig. 2 is a vertical, longitudinal, sec- 

 tional elevation of a hive, hive stand 

 and bottom board, on a line near the 

 left side showing the relation of the 

 various part*, with the bottom and 

 alighting boards in normal position for 

 ordinary outdoor use. 



Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of 

 the lower portion of a hive, stand and 

 bottom board, on the same line as in 

 Fig. 2, showing the normal po.sition 

 of the stand and bottom board in win- 

 tering bee-s in the cellar, or for trans- 

 porting them, the bottom board being 

 dropped down to the bottom of the 

 hive stand, and the entrance closed. 



Referring to the engravings, it will 

 be observed that the hive stand and 



on the cleats which run the entire 

 length of the inside of the lower side 

 pieces. These cleats also serve as the 

 support of the bottom board when ad- 

 justed to its lower position as in Fig. 

 3. At the in-side rear end of the stand 

 a flexible Avire spring support is pro- 

 vided for the rear end of the bottom 

 board. When the bottom board is ia 

 its upper position, its rear end againsi 

 the inside rear end of the stand, and 

 held snugly against the shoulder form, 

 ed by cleats along the inside uppc 

 edges of the sides and rear end piece 

 of said stand, by such flexible wirl 

 spring and the bail, as shoAvn in Fig 

 2, the front board attached to the bot 

 tom board as and for an alighting 

 board, the hive proper is in its norma 

 condition for outdoor use. 



The bail, shown in Fig. 2, may b( 

 inclined backward and held in positior' 

 by lugs on the under side of the bot 



Fig. 1. 



bottom board may be manufactured to 

 suit any hive, and that it is composed 

 of three separate parts, each detach- 

 able from the other, viz., the 

 stand, the bottom board and the 

 alighting board, as shown in Fig- 

 ures 1 and 2 but which in Fig. 

 3 is ad.iusted as a front board 

 to close the stand and hive. This 

 etand is open at the sides, which are 

 covered with wire screen and is open 

 at the front, the front board being re- 

 movable and to be iised to close the 

 stand and hive as in Fig. 3 and as an 

 alighting board as shown in Figures 

 1 and 2. This stand is also open at the 

 top and bottom and is provided with 

 cross pieces or sills at each end of the 

 lower side. The bail which supports 

 the bottom board in its upper position, 

 as shown in Fig. 2, is hinged into ears 



tom board to supjiort the latter in 

 partially elevated position when a: 

 enlarged entrance to the hive is desii 

 ed. By ad.iusting this bail, the size o 

 the entrance opening is controllec 

 The upper front end of the bottor 

 board and cleat beneath the same, i 

 beveled, as shown in Fig. 2, to form th 

 desired normal entrance. The bottor 

 board, being slightly shorter than th 

 inside long dimension of the stanc 

 the entrance to hive is contracted b; 

 simply drawing the bottom board foi 

 ward until the desired size of entrane 

 is obtained. The entrance may be en 

 tirely closed if the bottom board i 

 drawn forward until its front ent 

 comes against the top front piece o 

 the stand and by cutting a notch in th 

 front end of the bottom board the '>ii| 

 trance may lie entirely closed, excepj 

 the notch, and a(1.1usted to the flight o[ 

 such small number of bees as is del 

 sired. The front board has a cleat of 

 pro.iection on the inside thereof a litl 



