58 HANDY BOOK OF BEES. 



The Bar-frame Hive. 



Amongst amateurs and bee-fanciers this hive is rather 

 popular at present. Apiarians of this class do not keep 

 bees for profit, and they purchase every novelty. Traders 

 in bee-hives are constantly offering to the public hives of 

 this sort, containing the latest improvements. Though 

 ■we think the bar-frame hive is very unsuitable for a bee- 

 farmer, or for filling the markets of Great Britain with 

 honey, we shall here describe, for the sake of those who 

 prefer the hive, what we consider are its best and worst 

 quahties. 



It is termed " the bar-frame hive " because loose or 

 movable bar-frames are hung up inside of it. The bees 

 are tempted often to build their combs in the frames ; and 

 when they do this in a regular manner, the bar-frames are 

 filled with combs, and can be removed from the hive sep- 

 arately. In artificial swarming with this kind of hive, 

 half of the bees and half of the combs are put into 

 another bar-frame hive. There are many ways of artificial 

 swarming, but none more unnatural than this. In the 

 autumn, when these hives are fiUed with brood and 

 honey, some of the combs containing most honey are taken 

 and the others left. If the swarming system of manage- 

 ment (which is very much the best) be adopted, the 

 combs containing most brood in both hives can be fixed 

 in one, thus making it a good stock for keeping ; the rest is 

 taken for honey. " The American slinger " was invented 

 to sHng or cast out honey from bar-combs without destroy- 

 ing them. It was introduced into this country recently, 

 and has been but partially tested. It can sling out 

 flower-honey from combs, but is quite unable to cast 

 heather-honey from them. The action and merits of " the 

 slinger " will be considered when we come to the chapter 

 on honey-taking. 



