A'p'paratus 27 



The plain box rests on a bottom board, so made that 

 there is an entrance space (Fig. 20), and over the hive is a 

 cover which can be entirely removed to permit the removal 

 of frames. There are various types of bottoms and covers, 

 with no marked advantages in one over the others. The 

 telescope cover over a thin inner cover is a good type (Fig. 20). 



The size of frame standard in America is that of the Lang- 

 stroth (or L) hive, 9| high by 17| inches long. Frames of 

 other sizes, but having the same method of hanging, have 

 been devised and a larger size has much to commend it, but 

 the desirability of imiformity outweighs the advantages of 

 the odd sizes. 



The number of frames in the hive is 

 determined by the character of the local- 

 ity and the kind of honey produced. 

 Many comb-honey producers in the white 

 clover region prefer the eight-frame hive Fig. 21. — Diagram 

 while the majority of extracted-honey ^^Se anS 

 producers use the ten-frame size. Some bet in Langstroth 

 prefer a twelve-frame hive. The sales of 'i'^®- 

 supply dealers indicate a growing prefer- 

 ence for the ten-frame size among all classes of beekeep- 

 ers. In deciding which size of hive is preferable, the 

 usual method is to determine the amount of brood that 

 can be reared by a strong colony and to calculate the requi- 

 site number of combs from their area. This is not an 

 entirely reliable criterion for the following reasons : (1) the 

 outside combs are frequently unavailable for brood-rearing, 

 because of inaccurate spacing, (2) the top rows of cells in 

 combs built on comb-foundation usually sag, reducing the 

 area available for brood by a depth of one to two inches, 

 (3) there is frequently considerable drone comb or irregular 

 comb. The comb area needed for brood depends on the 

 character and time of the honey-flow and on the system 

 followed. For example, if the main honey-flow comes 

 early in the season {e.g. white clover in the North), it is 

 desirable to build up the colony with great rapidity. This 



