32 MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION 



nearly all the factories now turn out the standard size and bees in 

 the market are usually discounted if in odd sized hives. 



The Langstroth frame is usually made with the top bar one 

 inch in width and 7-8 of an inch in thickness, to support the weight 

 of the honey laden comb without sagging. The side bars may be a 

 little narrower and of 1-4 inch strips. The bottom bars are usually 

 much narrower even down to 1-4 inch square so that the frames 

 can be removed without crushing or rolling bees against the ad- 

 joining combs. The top bars as now manufactured are made with a 

 double slot on the lower side and each frame is provided with a 

 triangular wedge so that the comb foundation can be wedged in. 

 securely. This simple method of fitting in foundation will be dis- 

 cussed more in detail later. 



There have been various devices tried for spacing the indi- 

 vidual frames. One widely used style is that known as the Hoff- 

 man self-spacing end bar. The end bars are made somewhat wider 

 .at the top so that they project beyond the top bar, and coming in 

 touch with those of the adjoining frame, form a bee space of 3-8 

 of an inch, the space allowed everywhere where bees must pass. 

 The objection to this frame is that the bees so propolize and build 

 1race combs over them that they are very hard to break apart, and, 

 when once apart, they have to be scraped before they will fit to- 

 gether again. They form bad places to crush bees when one is 

 working hurriedly. Staple spacers have also been used. For the 

 amateur some form of spacing is not a bad plan but soon one ac- 

 quires the ability to place frames with the correct interval, and 

 manipulation is much easier with no means of self spacing. 



The ends of the hives are rabbeted so that the frames will have 

 support. This in most instances, is made deeper than necessary to 

 admit the top bar and still give the bee space and then a tin rabbet 

 in inserted to minimize the effects of propolizing by the bees. 



The hive bodies are cut to take eight, ten or twelve frames. 

 Lock joints or halved joints nailed from each direction make a solid 

 hive and are especially necessary if the bottom board is movable, 

 as is the case with the common hives now in use. Where bees are 

 AV intered out of doors in this climate, some protection is necessary 

 to retain the heat generated by the bees. This can be supplied by 

 1 aving a double-walled hive, with the space filled with chaff, straw, 

 or paper, or ground cork, giving a few inches of dry absorbent ma- 



