Cloth Covers and Metal Supports. iSn 



Heddon in his excellent book follows the English and 

 calls this a dummy. It is especially useful in autumn, 

 winter and spring in contracting the hive, and thus econ- 

 omizing heat, and at the harvest seasons in contracting the 

 brood chamber, so as to secure the honey in the sections 

 where it is desired. It is made the same form as the frames, 

 but is a little larger so that it is close-fitting in the hive. It 

 is easily made by nailing a top-bar of the usual frame on 

 top of a board that will just fit in the hive, and reach to 

 the top of the rabbet. If desired the board may be beveled 

 at the edges. When the division board is inserted in the 

 hive it separates the brood chamber into two parts by a 

 close partition. Many bee-keepers make them like a close- 

 fitting frame and cover with cloth, which is stuffed with 

 chaff. Others groove the edges and insert a strip of cloth 

 or rubber. The chaff board is for greater warmth, the 

 rubber to make the board fit closely, and yet give enough 

 to make it easy to withdraw the division board when it 

 swells from dampness. Mr. Jones prefers that the division 

 board should not reach quite to the bottom of the hive 

 (Fig. 62). This enables the bees to pass under, and as 

 heat rises there is very little objection to this bee space 

 under the division board. 



We use the division board, to contract the chamber in 

 winter to vary it so as to keep all combs covered with bees 

 in spring, to contract the brood chamber when we wish to 

 secure a full force of bees in the sections, to convert our 

 hives into nucleus hives, and in case we secure comb honey 

 in two-story hives, which, however, we do not practice 

 now to contract the upper chamber when the season first 

 opens. 



CLOTH COVERS. 



After the honey season Is over, and the weather becomes 

 cold, about the 20th of September, it is well to remove the 

 honey board, and to cover above the bees with a piece of 

 heavy factory cloth, which thus forms the immediate cover 

 for the bees in winter. The section crate full of dry, fine 

 sawdust has now this cloth for its bottom, while the cover 

 of the hive rests on the section crate. 



