222 MONEY IN" BEES IN AUSTKALASIA 



entrances were closed with, wire clotli. Not a solitary 

 comb — some were quite new — was broken ; had the combs 

 been heavy with honey, some must have fallen from the 

 frames. 



It is a good practice to place the surplus honey-combs 

 in supers for removal. In case of mishap only the combs 

 and honey are lost ; otherwise, if the honey is in with the 

 bees, all are destroyed. Attend to the combs a week or 

 more beforehand, and at the same time fasten all frames 

 securely. The "Hoffman" style only requires crowding 

 together tightly and two wooden wedges inserted between 

 the outside frame and hive wall. The "Simplicity" 

 frames are, of course, unspaced and a pair of sticks, 

 illustrated in Fig. 77, must be cut for each colony. The 

 sticks preserve the essential distance between each frame 

 and in this way prevent crushing the insects. Two 

 1 inch nails will secure each stick in place at the ends 

 of the frames. 



WIRE SCREENS. 



After fixing the inside of the hives, the outside will 

 require attention. The bottom-boards should be secured 

 with 6 staples, two in each side, and the same number 

 in the back; simply drive one leg of the staple into the 

 edge of the bottom-board, the other into the hive-body. 

 Some apiarists use four pieces of wood (see corner of 

 hive in Fig. 78) nailed at each comer to the bottom-board, 

 hive-body, and wire screen ; this makes things very snug 

 for hauling. If the weather is not too boisterous the 

 screens may be attached by two screws as shown, two or 

 three days before, and the top of the wire protected with 

 bags, or several thicknesses of newspaper, with the hive 

 lid covering all. 



The screens are simply constructed, merely a wooden 

 rim of % inch thickness by the dimensions of the hive, 

 covered with wire gauze or fly-wire. Should the weather 

 be sultry when loading the bees, tack a piece of lath i/'2 

 inch thick on each end of the screen so that the lid cannot 

 sit down on the wire. The cover, if desired, may be 

 secured by two staples as already explained. 



