1334 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 15 



DEEP SPACES UNDER BOTTOM-BARS. 



Slotted Dummies to Contract this Space 

 AVitliout Reversing Bottom -boards. 



BY DB. C. ('. MILLEH. 



I think it is no presumption on my part to 

 claim to be a pioneer, if not the pioneer, in 

 the way of advocating a deep space under 

 bottom-bars. So-called deep bottom-boards 

 are now in common use, generally | inch 

 deep, but I want nothing less than two inch- 

 es for the part of the year when deep bot- 

 toms are needed. 



Dux'ing the time when bees are building 

 and storing, it will not do to give the bees 

 too much room below bottom-])ars. To 

 meet the want for a deep space part of the 

 time and a shallow space at other times, I 

 invented the reversible bottom-board. It 

 may seem a trifle inconsistent for a man to 

 go back on his own invention; but reversing 

 bottom-boards twice each year makes a good 

 deal of lifting, and I thought I could avoid 

 that by having a plain bottom-board two 

 inches deep, not i-eversible, but having the 

 space partly filled during the time of year 

 when not needed. So I put in a false bottom, 

 1| inches deep, a little before the honey-flow, 

 and took it out when the honey- flow was 

 over. It was simply a shallow box made of 

 thin stufl", turned upside down. It worked 

 nicely, only if I left one end open, as I did 

 at first, the bees sometimes filled it with 

 honey. 



It troubled me to think that I couldn't 

 leave the bees the whole space during the 



FIG. 1.— DR. miller's BOTTOM-RACK TO BE 

 INSERTED UNDER THE FRAMES TO PRE- 

 VENT THE BEES FROM BUILDING 

 COMB IN THE 2-IN( H Sl'ACE. 



summer, making it cooler and pleasanter 

 for them; but if I did so they would build 

 down under the bottom-bars, and that 

 wouldn't do. Finally it occurred tome that 



1 could at least compromise the matter, and 

 instead of the box I put in what may be 

 called a l)ottom-rack, as shown in Fig. 1. 



You will see it is very simple. Two pieces, 

 each about 18 inches long, lie parallel, and 

 upon these are nailed pieces 10 to 10. ^ inches 



FIG. 3.— ANOTHER FORM OF THE BOTTOM- 

 RACK. 



long, with a space of about } inch between 

 each two pieces, the whole being of such sized 

 stuff as to leave a space of ^ inch between 

 bottom-bars and rack. Any old stuff will 

 answer, and you will see in the picture that 

 there is no regularity about the width of the 

 pieces. Just saw off boards in 10.}-inch 

 lengths, and then split up with an ax. For 

 a year or more some of these bottom-racks 

 have been in use with much satisfaction. 



Not only is it easier to put in one of these 

 racks, or to take it out, than to reverse the 

 bottom-board, but I think it is better — better 

 by the increased amount of air it allows un- 

 der the bottom-bars. 



I think this can be improved. The prob- 

 lem is to try to fill up that two-inch space 

 with just as little of any thing but air as pos- 

 sible, and at the same time prevent the bees 

 from building below the bottom-bars. 



Illustration Fig. 3 approaches what I 

 think is the ideal bottom-rack. There ai"e 

 three cross-pieces, each lO^XlXf; and wood 

 separators about 16£ inches long are split in- 

 to pieces a little more than }, inch wide 

 and nailed on to the cross-pieces about I inch 

 apart. The strips are nailed on below and 

 above, break-joint fashion, as you will under- 

 stand by looking at the picture. In order 

 that the construction might be more clearly 

 shown, the upper strips are left off in the up- 

 per part of the picture. Of course, the strips 

 must be nailed on here to complete the rack. 

 Undei'neath, at each side, is a rider upon 

 which the bottom-rack is nailed, these riders 

 projecting an inch or so at the front end of 

 the hive, for convenience in drawing out the 

 rack. At the upper left-hand corner you see 

 one projecting end. Unfortunately the oth- 

 er doesn't show. Thickness of rider is | inch, 

 which makes, as you will see, | in. between 

 rack and floor, and | between rack and bot- 

 tom-bars. 



This last bottom-rack has never been put 

 into actual use; and although I think it will 

 work all right, one never knows for certain 

 till the opinion of the bees has been obtain- 



