200 MOJS"EY IN BEES IN AUSTBALASIA 



channels. Apart from this the bees coat the inside of 

 the hive with a thin skin of propolis that renders the wood 

 practically impervious to moisture. 



The author has never yet encountered a strong colony 

 in a hive painted on the outside only that suffered from 

 the contained damp. If one is cleansing foul brood it is 

 a good plan to paint inside and out; it makes little 

 difference to healthy bees whether we paint the inside 

 or not, but it makes a lot of difference to the lifetime 

 of a hive if it is not painted on the outside. The first 

 coat should be rather thin, — red oxide is very suitable 

 for the priming — and care should be exercised to work it 

 well into the grain, especially the ends. The hives should 

 then be left in a warm dry atmosphere for a few days 

 to allow the paint to harden. 



Before giving the second coating, all cracks and nail 

 holes should be "stopped" with putty made from whiting 

 and oil. The second coat should consist of white lead, 

 oil, and a little dryers all worked up until a smooth 

 consistency is obtained. The second coat should be thin 

 and laid on evenly ; a further period should elapse before 

 the final coat is given, and choose a clear, dustless, warm 

 day for the work. 



NUMBERS ON HIVES. 



When the final coat is hard and dry, the hives should 

 be numbered before using. Where a number of colonies 

 are together, it is impossible to remember every operation 

 performed, and it is necessary at times for the apiarist 

 to know just the condition of each colony, without opening 

 a single one. The neatest way to number them is to use 

 small stencils. It is rather an advantage to number 

 covers in preference to bodies, which often get displaced 

 in working the apiary. The lids, however, can always 

 occupy the same lo'cation. 



The paint for stencilling should be made of vegetable 

 black (2 tablespoonfuls), raw linseed oil, (1 spoonful), 

 a little turpentine (10 drops), and terebene (12 drops), 

 all mixed to a creamy smoothness. An old short stumpy 



