1870 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



274 



wedge shaped platform before the saw, so as 

 to cut them on au angle, thus : 



Let the figure represent a board of any 

 width, and the dotted lines the way in which 

 it was ripped up. After ripping, the strips 

 were all cut through the middle as at A. 

 With fine saws such as we use, these strips 

 were smooth enough to paint, on one side, but 

 without being planed down, they would be of 

 different thicknesses. How shall we make a 

 box 01 these, and have the outside smooth and 

 even? We did it by sawing out corner posts 

 from a three inch plank thus : 



The saw going in from each side so as to 

 leave a trough shaped piece. These corner 

 pieces are very easily and quickly made on a 

 board fastened before the saw at an angle of 

 45 degrees. With these corners, any one who 

 can drive nails, can make a nice looking, 

 weather proof box. The siding is nailed on 

 the inside, so that not a nail is visible, and if 

 the three inch plank were planed, the corner 

 would be quite ornamental; even if you are so 

 awkward you cannot saw your boards all the 

 same length, it will make no difference, for 

 none of the ends are visible. The figure shows 

 the way in which the boards are put on ; of 

 course the bevels are for the purpose of shed- 

 ding rain. 



1^ 



B 



CHAFF. 



UPPEESTOKT 18J!iX'2<i>4 



LOWER STORY, 



14;;£X18%, FOR 



10 BROOD COMBS. 



14 FRAMES CROSSING LOWER 



I A 



A A A A, are the seamless corner posts, and 

 B B B, the home made siding, etc. The 

 reason why we make our siting only 3 

 inches, is that our largest saw will only cut 

 that depth. This half inch stuff only costs 

 us i-o cent per foot, besides the sawing, and by 

 turning the smooth side inwards, we can 

 make a very pretty hive, to be set in these 

 chaff boxes. Just think of it ! An L. hive 

 one story with bottom nailed, can be made 

 with less than 3c. worth of lumber, and I have 

 been making just such to-day. If you think 

 such hives are not good looking when painted 

 all up nicely, with the roof and corners a 

 shade darker in color, perhaps we shall have 

 to give you a picture of one. The greatest 

 expense is the roof, and as the cover to the Q. 

 hive is heavier than we feel like using, we 

 shall make a permanent cover Z, over the 

 outer box, and have the cover that is movable, 

 only over the frames. As the upper story 



contains 14 frames, it can be used much like 

 the long hives for extracting, the lower storv 

 being reserved entirely for the brood and win- 

 tering apartment. We have no fear at all that 

 such a hive will be too warm in summer, with 

 the large entrance we have given, and if we 

 cannot find some way to keep the bees at 

 work after we have a hive full, we shall be 

 forever contented with the name of Novice. 



If the apiarist can stand working in the sun, 

 perhaps the grape vines may be dispensed 

 with, and a little village of these permanent 

 hives, would be a pretty sight indeed. We 

 studied harder over a light cheap cover, 

 made of this same cheap lumber, than perhaps 

 any other part, and we wasted lumber, tin, 

 time, money, and patience enough to almost 

 make us sick, before we were perfectly satis- 

 fied with it, but we got it finally. After your 

 lumber is all cut up"2 feet, rip up for siding 

 only such as will shed rain, using the knotty 

 and shaky pieces for the bottom of the hives 

 next the ground. Perhaps i^ of the whole 

 will be thrown out thus ; the bottom is naiUd 

 on the last thing, just after filling in the chaff, 

 and to do this, the hive is inverted. After flie 

 chaff is well packed down, we lay on a piece 

 of tari'ed building paper, then nail on the 

 x 



UPPER STORY, 

 11 INCHES DEEP. 



LOWER STORY, 

 9}4 INCHES DEEP. 



rough boards. This keeps out all dampness. 

 For the covers, sort out the best of the siding ; 

 run these over the buzz saw so as to cut each 

 piece nearly in two in the middle. Now nail 

 them to a 5 inch ridge board beveled inward 

 with the buzz saw as at X, letting them bend 

 at the saw cuts Y. To make the joints be- 

 tween the siding iised for the roof water tight, 

 groove the edges ^4 deep with a thin saw thus : 



m^Bi^ ^^^^^^ ^-^ ^ i^ 

 After the cover is nailed to X, lay it on the 

 saw table, and trim it square and true, then 

 slip in 1^ in. strips of tin folded lengthwise as 

 shown at E, slightly trough-shaped. These 

 will never check being so narrow and the tin 

 slips will allow them to shrink and swell, and 

 yet the cover is very light. Z is the perman- 

 ent roof that covers the chaff, and it is made 

 with a lip on the upper edge, that just reach- 

 es up inside the strip? that are nailed clear 

 around to the under side of the cover. This 

 lip is easily made with the Iduzz s.iw, and the 

 four pieces Z, are put together like a picture 

 frame, before nailing to the top of the hive. 

 Bees in these hives will need no care what- 

 ever we hope^ from October, until May follow- 



