320 



JOURNAL OF HOETICTTLTTJEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ October 18, 1864. 



of managing bees, is a want with which the public has not 

 yet been supplied. 



Will Mr. Woodbury respond to a request which I in 

 common with many others now make ? — B. S. 



BOXES AJS T D SUPERS. 



In No. 182 of your New Series of The Joubnal of Hoeti- 

 cthlttoe, I find an article on comb-pruning by your valued 

 correspondent, Mr. S. Bevan Eox, and in that article allusion 

 is made to one of his hives, No. 7, a box adjuster-hive, from 

 which in the year 1863 he took a super of 30 lbs., and in the 

 present year, 1864, another of about 40 lbs. Now, as I am a 

 bee-keeper, not, indeed, on a very large scale, I should be 

 glad if your correspondent would furnish me with the dimen- 

 sions of the stock-hive, and also those of a super to hold 

 30 or 40 lbs. of honey, likewise what must be the minimum 

 inside measure of a wooden box-hive to contain sufficient 

 honey to carry a good swarm through the winter. — A. K. H. 



[The adjuster-hive was originally invented by Mr. G. 

 Eox, of Kingsbridge. I gave a full description, accompanied 

 by a diagram, of the one then in use by myself, at page 99, 

 of No. 555, Vol. XXII., published May 17th, 1859. 



As it is possible that " A. ~K. H.," may not possess a copy 

 of The Cottage Gakdeneb, of that date, I here sketch out a 

 short description of the hive, which I hope may suffice to 

 show him the principle both of its construction and manage- 

 ment. 



The dimensions now given slightly vary from those of the 

 previous account, but are, I think, in every way an improve- 

 ment. 



The stock-box A is 12 inches square, by 8f inches deep, 

 inside measure. It is made of f -inch yellow deal (or -|-inch 

 when planed), well and truly dovetailed together, and as 

 additional security, pinned at each corner by two pins of 

 iron wire 4i inches long, meeting about the centre, pre- 

 viously having bored with a fine gimlet. A rebate of f-inch 

 in depth by -r%-inch wide, is run along the upper edges of 

 the back and front. The bars, eight in number, which are 

 12f-inehes in length, by f-inch wide, and f-inch thick, are 

 sunk in notches of the same width and depth, so that there 

 will be a space of three-eighths of an inch between the bars 

 and the adapter or cover. The bars should also be con- 

 structed with shallow ribs of about i-inch square, on the 

 under side, after the fashion of the Woodbury ribbed comb- 

 bar. A thin coating of melted wax should be applied to 



these ribbed surfaces previous to a swarm being hived in 

 the box. 



c Is a thin board clamped at the ends, used as an adapter 

 and top. This is fastened to the box by well-gTeased screws, 

 which must be carried through the clamps only. There are 

 two slits 8 inehes long by f-inch wide, on each side, corre- 

 sponding with two of the openings between the bars. These 

 are best made towards the two sides, lea'ving no communi- 

 cation near the centre. When the super is not being worked 

 these slits for communication are closed by two pieces of 

 wood about 3 inches wide, which are slipped gently along 

 from one end to the other, so as to avoid crushing bees. 

 The super b must be made with great nicety, just large 

 enough in the square to slip down over the stock-box a, or 

 about 13f inches square, by from 12 to 15 inches in depth, 

 according to the honey district. This is also furnished with 

 eight bars 1J inch in width, either formed and fixed like 

 those in the lower box, or made of f-inch stuff, a piece of 

 2^ inches long by | inch 

 deep being cut out of the 

 top part of each end of the 

 bar, thus — 



It is hardly necessary to 

 say that the top and adapter 



of the inner box must be made perfectly flush with the outer 

 dimensions of the same. 



The window in the stock -box, 7 inches in length by 

 4J inches in depth, is darkened by a shutter of stout zinc, 

 sliding upwards from below through a slit cut in the floor- 

 board, and working in grooves covered by narrow slips of 

 the same metal sunk its own thickness into the wood. The 

 window in the super is of somewhat larger dimensions — say 

 10 inches high by 7 inches wide, and may be closed in any 

 manner according to the fancy of the owner. In all cases of 

 bar-hives the glass must be fitted, as nearly as possible, 

 flush with the inside of the box. 



The floor-board r> is made of 1^-inch stuff about 18 inehes 

 square, strengthened by two cross pieces dovetailed and 

 driven in tight about 4 inches from each side. It is ad- 

 visable to screw the bottom board to the stock-box, other- 

 wise it would be difficult to take off the super without lifting 

 the inner box. The screws must pass through the cross- 

 bars, a mortice being cut in the floor-board proper to allow 

 of play backwards and forwards as the grain contracts or 

 ex] ands, according to the dryness or moisture of the 

 atmosphere. Bee-keepers will do well to attend to this 

 simple affair in the manufacture of all box-hives, as otherwise 

 the sides of the box are strained and started from their 

 fastenings ; but it is particularly necessary as respects the 

 hive under consideration. 



The entrance is 6 inches long by f-inch high, and is cut in 

 the upper surface of the floor-board. It is contracted when 

 desirable by moveable wedges, or by a slide. There is an 

 ahghting-board attached. 



During winter, or at any time that the super is not being 

 filled, it must be kept in its proper place over the stock-box, 

 itself being intended to form the outer case. A moveable 

 roof of wide dimensions is advisable. This may be made to 

 fit the top of the super. 



To work this hive the stock-hive is supplied with a swarm 

 in the usual way. A few bits of clean worker comb attached 

 to the bars will assist in promoting straightness of comb- 

 building. If none is at hand the waxed ribs must be trusted 

 to. The following season, or the same if the hive becomes 

 well filled, the slips of wood are removed from the adapter, 

 and the super let down to the floor-board. There will be a 

 space of a few inches for the bees to commence operations 

 in. Some clean guide combs should, if possible, be attached 

 to the bars to induce them to do so. When the bees are 

 fairly at work, and as the space allotted them becomes occu- 

 pied with combs, the super should be raised an inch, being 

 retained in its place by small blocks of wood. A rack and 

 spring on each side used to be the means adopted for this 

 latter purpose, but as it never seemed quite secure, the 

 blocks of wood were substituted. As the work of filling 

 goes on, the super must be raised little by little, suitable 

 blocks being at hand. Two persons are necessary to effect 

 this, and to remove the super at the end of the season. 

 Some little exercise of judgment is requisite in deciding 

 when these several raisings ought to be made. If delayed 



