THE beekeepers' DIRECTORY. 



79 



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Wire-cloth honey-hoard. 



Faoking over the combs. 



The proper place to pack is over the combs. This should be 

 done not only to prevent a draft of air through the brood-cham- 

 ber but also to retain the heat and absorb the moisture arising 

 from the bees. Our plan 

 is this — a wire cloth hon- 

 ey-board is first placed on 

 to give the bees passage- 

 way over the frames for 

 the bees to pass from one 

 comb to another, and also 

 so that feeding may be 

 done in the winter or 

 spring, and, also, in order 

 that the colony may be 

 examined at any time 

 with little or no disturbance to the bees. We first place upon the 

 honey-board a heavy duck-^nat. This article is not within reach 

 of beekeepers who live far from seaport towns. As new goods 

 of t^is kind would be most too expensive, we obtain it, second- 

 hand, of the sail-makers, for about ten cents per pound. One 

 pound will make two mats for L. hives. These mats are very 

 heavy and durable. 



The next thing to put on is the cushion. This is nothing but 

 a cotton-cloth sack, made from the cheapest grade goods. ' Three 

 sides are sewed up, the sack is then filled with hay cut about two 

 inches long. Most beekeepers I believe use chaff and planer- 

 shavings for the same purpose, and we did so up to the fall of 

 1887. At that time I did not have at hand sufficient chaff to fill all 

 the cushions I wanted to use, and hay was substituted in its stead. 

 I was happily surprised in the spring, when examining the colo- 

 nies, to find that those that had the sacks of hay were in the 

 cleanest and brightest condition. The hay, being more open, let 

 the dampness through more freely than any of the other material 

 used, while at the same time it was sufficiently close to prevent 

 too much ventilation through the broodrchamber. I am so well 

 pleased with the experiment that hay only will be used in the 

 future in the Bay State Apiary with which to fill the cushions or 

 pack around the hive for, winter protection. 



