§ X.] GENERAL HINTS ON FRAME HIVES. 255 



so as to fit every hive. A hive that is weakly may often 

 be advantageously strengthened by having put into it a 

 comb of brood from a populous stock, to which an empty 

 frame from the weak one may be given ; no bees must 

 be on the brood-comb — -these should be shaken ofif or 

 gently dislodged with a feather into the hive from which 

 the comb is taken. The frames of combs should then 

 be, one by one, placed so as to fill in the vacancy, leaving, 

 the empty frame nearest the side. 



In the British Bee yonrnal of March 1875, Mr. 

 Cowan gives the following excellent description of his 

 system of working frame hives. He says : "The method 

 is very simple, but is one that requires much attention, 

 which is, however, well repaid by the extra quantity of 

 honey obtained. The hives I use are the ten-frame 

 Woodbury, and thirteen-frame on the Woodbury plan, 

 only longer. In the autumn I transfer the bees into 

 clean hives and leave them seven or eight frames, and 

 should they be short of food or of bees I add those I 

 may take from the cottagers in the neighbourhood. I 

 feed with sugar and water of the strength of two pounds 

 of sugar to a pint of water boiled a few minutes. They 

 are fed up to a weight of thirty pourids. During winter 

 they have ample ventilation — the hives being raised about 

 one-eighth of an inch from the floor-board, and the top 

 board is also raised about the same height, so that there 

 is a constant current of air through the hive. While I 

 am on the subject of wintering I may mention that I 



