CHAPTER III 



HIVES AND APPLIANCES 



PROBABLY the earliest hive of which we in this 

 country, have any record is the old straw skep, and 

 even now this hive is in extensive use, especially 

 in remote country, districts. As. a home for bees 

 it answers its purpose admirably, but as a means to 

 up-to-date honey production it is utterly useless, 

 mainly on account of its fixed combs, which make 

 it impossible for any manipulations to be carried 

 out. Novk the proper manipulation of the bees 

 and combs is absolutely necessary if the best 

 results are to be obtained, and such work can only 

 be carried out by keeping the bees in modern 

 hives. 



It must be clearly pointed out, however, that 

 many people have modern hives and get no better 

 results than they would have done with skeps, in 

 fact they would have been pounds in pocket had 

 they adhered to that primitive method of hive 

 architecture. That, of course, is their own fault. 

 The simple fact that the bees are in frame hives 

 will not of necessity make the bees produce more 

 honey in the case of an ignorant or negligent 

 owner, for with such an owner they would do 



