18 



PEACTICAl BEB-KBEPINS. 



■faand often seen around the straw skep at its base. We must beg to differ- 

 from this deduction, because we see in the non-conduotiidty of the stisaw 

 its additional dryness. Wooden hives, cceteris paribus, are as dry as 

 straw ones if they are made equally non-oonductive, and this is fuUy 

 aehieved by double oasingr with an air space. 



In order to give room for the ears of the frames, the inner skin, front 

 and back, is made an inch shallower than the outer one. Standing three- 

 eighths of an inch abovo 

 the former are two strips 

 of zinc (1 and 2, Fig. 17), 

 each about an inch wide^ 

 and which serve to carry 

 the frames so that they 

 cannot be propolised, 

 while they — i.e., the 

 frames — can be slidden. 

 backwards and forwards 

 with the greatest ease 

 during manipulation. The 

 top bar of the frame is 

 |in. thick, so that the 

 space between the top 

 bar ayd the cover is Jin. 

 The depth of the hive 

 (D H, Pig. 17) is Sfin., 

 the width between 1 and 2 14Jin., the frames being exactly the same in 

 width as those known as Woodbury's. The length (c d, Pig. 18) will vary 

 with the number of frames used, but 11 seems to give the hive the correct 

 capacity. 



It has already been stated that each comb and interspace should oocupy- 

 IJin. This, multiplied, by 11, gives IBJin., to which we must add Jin. 

 for the dummy, h i (Pig. 18), so that c d (Pig. 18) equals 17iin. The 

 size of the frame will be readily reached if it be remembered that it should 

 be everywhere Jin. from the hive, because in this amount of space bees 

 are unwilling to build comb, whUe smaller openings they fin in with 

 propolis .* 



Pig. 18 shows the arrangement of the frames, whicli are kept at theis 

 correct and relative distances by means of small naUs known amongst 

 carpenters as panel pins. Frames 10 and 11 have been removed in order 

 fco place frame 9 by itself, the better to show its two distance naOs, Tc and 

 I. These are driven in immediately over the side of the frame, so that 

 when the latter is removed they cannot tear the combs, and are also 



Tig. 18. Fbames of the Cheseike Hive, 



* Propolis is a resinous glue collected by bees and used for stopping all crevices. 

 A further ej^plauation is given later. 



