11 



board three strips of wood, | in. by i in., running along two sides and 

 one end, so that when the hive is rested on the bottom-board it will 

 leave an entrance f in. deep. Top or surplus boxes can be made in 

 the same way. 



Fig. 5. — Petrol-case Hive. 



Photo, F. A. Jacobsen.] 



Beginners should purchase Hoffman self-spacing frames from the 

 manufacturers, as they need to be very accurately made, and are 

 difficult to make by hand. If it is desired, however, to construct 

 frames the following are the dimensions : — 



Cut the top bar -|| in. wide by | in. deep, and i8| in. long. 

 Shoulders should be cut out on ends | in. long, leaving a thickness of 

 i in. to rest on the fillets. The ends should be 8| in. long, the same 

 width as the top bar, and f in. thick ; bottom bar 17!^ in. long, 

 f in. wide, and J in. thick. There are ten frames to each hive. 



The best roof , to use is a flat one, and may be made from the 

 surplus timber from the benzine-case, and should telescope to a depth 

 of 3 in. over the hive. Cover the top with ruberoid or other waterproof 

 material, and let it overlap the edges. A capital waterproof covering 

 can be made by first giving the wood a good coat of thick paint, and, 

 while wet, laying on open cheese-cloth (not butter-cloth), letting it 

 overlap the edges, arid painting over it. The paint on the wood 

 will ooze through the cloth, and the covering will last for years — ^no 

 tacks are needed. Light-coloured paint is best, as with this the 

 hive will keep cooler when exposed to the sun than if painted a 

 dark colour. 



The actual outlay for such a hive, allowing 6d. for the box, would 

 be approximately is. 6d., providing the person made his own frames. 

 With the additional comb-foundation, which is necessary to complete 

 the hive, the total outlay would be about los. There are a large 

 number of these hives in use at the present time, but they are not 

 very durable. When setting the hives out, keep them raised 5 in. 

 or 6 in. off the ground on bricks at each corner, so that there may 

 be good ventilation underneath. 



