218 AUSTRALIAN BEE LORE AND BEE CULTURE- 



between the lower bevelled edge ,and the bottom board ; and what Is 

 more to the purpose, a more simply constructed floor board can be 

 used when the edges on the sides are cut on the square. Occasion- 

 ally there is a little bee-glue used, which certainly is a little extra 

 labour for the bees ; but I have more than once found propolis used 

 in the conjunctions of bevel-edged hives. 



Elsewhere I have advocated the need of light wood for use in 

 all parts of hives and their adjuncts, but even here we must draw a 

 line of demarcation. Some of our Colonial ,pine, when it is exposed 

 to the weather, is liable to quickly perish, especially so if it has 

 been lying in the open, when, more or less, the grain opens, and 

 permanent cracks are the result. On one occasion I saw a hive 

 thoroughly collapse when being removed, and the frames, hive, 

 and its contents fall to the ground in one confused heap. And, 

 further, some of our soft timber acts as a splendid hunting ground 

 for white ants. I once saw a large apiary, where sawn 

 hardwood blocks of uniform height were used for hive stands, on 

 which the hives had become a prey to white antsi, and their sides 

 were so riddled as to necessitate substitution ; and in one case the 

 ants had built a gallery from the side of the hive to one of the 

 frames ready to commence work thereon. The apiary referred to 

 was in the bush, and surrounded by standing and fallen timber. 

 "What has been is likely to be," and I do not think by any means 

 this is likely to be an isolated case. I have always advocated 

 that hives should stand on bricks. In all locations these are not 

 always obtainable, and recourse must be given to a substitute. 

 Where wood is used for at hive-stand, paint it with coal-tar, or, 

 better still, cover it with a piece of tin or sheet-iron ; although, 

 if report speaks truly, white ants have been known to eat their 

 way through sheet-lead. I wonder if they would try it on sheet- 

 iron ? 



Perhaps, after all, the best gauge for carrying out the internal 

 measurements of a hive is to be guided entirely by the frame. If 

 the frames are made true to the standard gauge, and each of 

 uniform pattern and size', the necessary size for a hive is more easily 

 obtained therefrom than in any other way. Allowing bee-space, 

 J inch is usual (true bee-space is A inch), on all sides between the 

 hive and the frame must be right, also bee-space between the 

 bottom bar of the frame and the bottom board of the hive. The 

 space between the top bar of the frame and the cover of the hive 

 will depend on the construction of the cover itself. "Many men 



