60 PLEASURABLE BEE-KEEPING. 



bar-frame hive have managed their bees so unsuccess- 

 fully that they have given up bee-keeping in disgust. 

 Their want of success was not, however, due to the 

 system of bee-keeping which they adopted, but rather 

 to the want of acquaintance with the methods of 

 working such hives successfully. Although, taking 

 one season with another, a fair profit may be obtained 

 by managing bees properly in skeps, the full benefit of 

 the work of the bees can only be obtained by the use 

 of foundation ; and it is with that one object primarily 

 in view that this hive has been designed. 



The hive consists of. floor-board, brood-chamber, 

 supers, lift, and roof. Two supers will at all times be 

 necessary, but three may be needed in good districts. 

 The brood-chamber consists simply of four walls, the 

 front and back being ^ inch in thickness, and the sides 

 the same or f inch. The tops of the front and back 

 walls are rabbeted inside to admit the ends of the bars, 

 and allow the tops to lie level with the tops of the 

 walls. In other words, when the bars are in position 

 the top of the hive should present a flat surface being 

 broken only by the J-inch openings between the bars. 

 The depth of the walls is eight inches. 



Stipers. The supers are in all respects, except depth, 

 similar to the brood-chamber. The depth is only 4|^ 

 inches for the following reasons : (1) Shallow supers 

 are more readily entered by the bees ; (2) when full 

 they are more easily moved by the bee-keeper; and 

 (3) because, though the hive is to be worked for run 

 honey only, the supers will be of a size to be con- 

 verted into crates for sections in a few minutes. 



Lift. This is an absolute necessity with all wooden 



