Cottager and Smallholder 



II.— SKEPS OR STRAW HIVES AND BOXES. 



The use of these is strongly deprecated, as by having the 

 combs fastened to the main structure they cannot be taken 

 out for examination without breaking them from their 

 attachment; it is impossible to replace them, therefore they 

 are wasted. 



Contraction or expansion of the brood nest, and detection 

 of disease in its early stages are also impossible. Queen- 

 rearing and drone-breeding cannot be controlled, and a great 

 many other operations, which are easy of accomplishment with 

 the modern moveable comb hive — to be described later — are 

 debarred in the skep or box hive system of bee-keeping. 



If the cottager still persists in following this system — the 

 profits from which are very small compared with the moveable 



irt 



Fig. 6. 



FiQ. 7. 



comb method — then it is advisable to have the skep as up 

 to date as possible. 



A flat-topped one with a hole in the centre should be 

 procured and placed on a proper round floor-board 

 with a projecting piece for an alighting-board, as shown at 

 Fig. 6. A stand is made by halving two nine inch pieces of 

 one inch wood together, Eig. 7. A wooden case, capable of 

 carrying shallow combs or a section rack, made with a solid 

 floor four or five inches from the bottom, inside, having a hole 



