THE HIVE 23 



"When honey was wanted by the owner he 

 resorted to the simple expedient of burn- 

 ing a bit of sulphur under the hive and 

 afterward shaking out the dead bees. As 

 it was always the heaviest colonies that 

 were selected for this "treatment" the 

 system naturally reversed the law of the 

 survival of the fittest and only the weak 

 and poorly working colonies were carried 

 over the winter from year to year. 



The next step in the evolution of the 

 hive was the introduction of the log 

 "gum." This was simply a section of a 

 hollow log, set on end with a wide board 

 nailed over the top to keep out the rain. 

 A hole was bored near the base for an en- 

 trance and sometimes provision was made 

 to place a second section on top to coUect 

 the surplus product of the active insects. 

 This was a distinct step forward in bee- 

 keeping methods and many beekeepers 

 continued to use the old "gums" until 

 quite recently. They, like the straw 

 skep, provided ideal winter quarters for 



