8 



of bees, larvae, and eggs. When this stage is reached the bees 

 pull out the honey cells at the top of the comb just below the 

 frame bars. The whitening of the comb may be taken as a sign 

 that the bees are over-crowded and supers are needed. 



The hive boxes and supers are rabbeted at the ends so that 

 the frames hang, leaving a bee space at the top, sides and bottom. 

 Both supers, and hives, have handhole cleats which aid materially 

 in lifting full boxes. The dimensions of the standard frame are 

 nine and one eighth inches by seventeen and five-eighths inches; 

 the frame bar is eighteen and seven- eighths inches. Frames are 

 so made that a piece of artificial comb starter may be inserted in 

 the underside of the frame bar. This piece of starter is to guide 

 the bees in making good, straight comb. The frames are also 

 wired to prevent the comb from breaking down. New super comb 

 often breaks in the extractor if it is not wired. 



Great care should be exercised in the spacing of frames in 

 the brood chamber. They should be spaced equally so that the 

 bees will make all the brood of uniform thickness. The frames 

 for the standard hives are made to fit exactly so that there is no 

 chance for unequal spaces. There should be one and three-eighths 

 inches distance from the center of one frame to the center of 

 the next. 



Movable frames are used now-a-days by all up to date bee- 

 keepers. They enable the bee-keeper to examine the brood and 

 carry on a number of operations which are essential in successful 

 bee-keeping. These operations are fully explained in another 

 part of this circular. 



If frames are not used and bees are kept in boxes the amount 

 of honey raised is small and every time honey is removed the 

 bees have to be smoked out or destroyed. The honey obtained in 

 this way is of an inferior quality. 



Hive boxes should be painted with a good white lead paint 

 before putting them together and when this begins to wear olT 

 they should be painted again to preserve them. This should not 

 be neglected, especially in this climate as the boxes are liable 

 to warp when exposed to the sun and rain. 



HONEY BOARDS AND QUEEN-EXCLUDERS. 



Honey boards are used to prevent the passing of queen and 

 drones from the brood chamber to the supers. With one of these 

 boards on a hive the brood is confined to the lower box and 

 nothing but honey is stored in the super. There are a number of 

 different kinds of honey boards made. The kind most generally 

 used is made of perforated zinc. Some are bound with wood and 

 some are left plain. Those bound have thin strips of wood over 

 the zinc which cover some of the perforations. The strips of 

 wood are so spaced that they come over the frame bars, and the 

 spaces with the perforations come directly above the open spaces 

 between the frames, thus giving the bees ample room to pass up 

 and down. This style of board rests between the super and the 

 brood chamber, having the same dimensions, thus a bee space is 



