FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 83 



tion that have been built out and filled with honey. The upper 

 one is built out solid to the frame all around, while the lower 

 one has a hole at one of the lower corners, through which a 

 queen can play hide-and-seek. 



In Fig. 33 are two that have been built out and filled with 

 brood. They ai'e built out solid to the wood, excepting one 

 hole in each at one of the lower corners, but these two holes are 

 covered up by the fingers so that you cannot see them. Look 

 carefully at the frame at the left hand, and you will see at least 

 three places where the capping is slightly elevated, because of 

 the splints beneath. 



BROOD TO THE TOP-BAB. 



Incidentally your attention may be called to this comb as a 

 fine specimen of one well filled with brood. It is literally filled, 

 all the cells, sealed and unsealed, containing brood. It shows 

 that there is no necessity for shallow frames to have brood clear 

 to the top-bar. At the time when it is desired to get bees to 

 start work in sections, the brood wiU be up so high in the combs 

 that bees will start in the sections just as promptly with stand- 

 ard frames as with those that are shallower. After the bees have 

 been at work storing for some time, the brood in the standard 

 frame will not be as near the top-bar as in a shallow frame, 

 but that will be no hindrance to the continuance of storing in 

 supers. 



For a long time it puzzled me to understand why others 

 should say that in a Langstroth frame a space of one or two 

 inches would be left under the top-bar where no brood would 

 be reared, while in my hives, in the height of brood-rearing, 

 frame after frame would be filled with brood clear to the top- 

 bar. It was urged that the trouble arose because the frame was 

 too deep. Finally it was suggested that horizontal wiring 

 allowed enough sagging so that the upper cells were stretched 

 just enough so they would not be used for brood. In my frames, 

 with foundation-splints, there was no chance for stretching, 

 and so the row of cells next to the top-bar and bottom-bar could 

 alike be used by the queen. 



Even if brood were not reared in the upper part of a Lang- 

 stroth frame, I should still prefer that depth for comb honey. 



