! 88 The New Heddon Hive. 



It will be noted that I have made no mention in the 

 above of metal rabbets or more correctly metal supports. 

 I have tried these for years, and have usually recommended 

 them, but for the past tw^o years I have omitted them, and 

 think I shall have no further use for them in my hives. If 

 we wish them we have only to cut the rabbet a little deeper 

 and tack inside the hive, just below the rabbet, a narrow 

 strip of heavy tin, which shall project a little above the 

 wooden rabbet, just enough to raise the top of the frame 

 to within three-eighths of an inch of the top of the hive. 

 The advantages of these are that they make a very narrow 

 rest or support for the frames and so the latter are more 

 easily loosened, and in careless hands are less apt to kill 

 bees when put into the hives. It is always easy, however, 

 by means of a chisel to loosen frames, and if we are often 

 manipulating our bees, as when extracting in summer, the 

 frames are easily loosened without the metal supports. 

 Some apiarists make hives without rabbets, making the 

 frames to rest on the top of the hive. . I have tried such 

 hives thoroughly, and wish no more of them. Of- course 

 with such hives the valuable honey board and bee spaces 

 are impossible. 



THE NEW HEDDON HIVE. 



. Mr. Heddon has patented and offered to the public a new 

 hive which combines in principle the Langstroth and the 

 Huber. I have tried this hive only for a short time and so 

 guided by the rule I have always adopted, I do not recom- 

 mend it. Yet the experienced bee-keeper can often judge 

 correctly of what he has never tried, and I will add that I 

 fully believe this hive and the method Mr, Heddon gives 

 of manipulation in his valuaWe book, are well worth our 

 attention. Mr. Heddon is so able that he rarely recom- 

 mends what is not valuable. Several others have tried this 

 hive and speak in the highest terms of its value. Among 

 these are no less authorities than R. L. Taylor and W. Z. 

 Hutchinson. At the beginning of this chapter I caution all 

 against patent hives. This is necessary as so many frauds 

 have been committed under this guise; but if Mr. Heddon 



