and its Economic Management. 109 



A similar arrangement has long been used by myself with 

 the Economic hive, by placing an empty chamber under the 

 Stock-hive, and this, though not so satisfactory as the other, 

 is the best substitute. 



With hives in general use I find the best way to secure 

 ventilation to be as follows : — Place the combs to one end 

 farthest from the entrance ; there may or may not be a 

 dummy on that side nearest the vacant space, but such 

 dummy must not touch the hive side, and will hang as an 

 ordinary frame ; for my own use I prefer no dummy. ' Cover 

 the frames with non-porous cloth as usual, but allow clear 

 communication from the entrance to the roof, which is, of 

 course, ventilated. Thus we have no draught through 

 the brood nest, but a thorough ventilation in front of the 

 same, with a certain change of air for the occupants of the 

 hive. 



As an instance, 1 have put up driven bees in Autumn on 

 standard frames of empty combs ; closed up with chafF-packed 

 dummies ; a medium entrance, and warm porous covering on 

 top, with no through ventilation. They were fed carefully 

 and had young queens. Others were made up on large frames 

 (14 inches by 14 inches) of comb of the same strength, and the 

 same food, but the combs were placed to one end of the hives 

 where the wall was only ^-inch thick ; at the opposite side 

 nothing protected the comb, while there was a large unoccupied 

 space with three, 2-inch holes in the side wall, and one in the 

 centre of the floor. Communication was quite open to the 

 roof, where there was ten times the space generally allowed 

 for ventilating ; the frames were covered with porous material, 

 and yet with all this extra ventilation and no dummies, these 

 stocks came out 5 to i better than those prepared as usual on 

 Standard frames. 



Where bees are wintered oh Standard frames in long hives, 

 whether the brood nest is placed at the back, or front of the 

 hive, the dummy next the open spac6 must stand cleay of the 

 side walls, just as the frame does. Those who have followed 



