AUSTRALASIAN BEE MANUAL 49 



while of the same length and breadth, are only sfin. 

 in height. The floor or bottom-board is the same width 

 as the brood chamber, but four inches longer, out of 

 which a V-shaped piece is gouged at the front end of 

 the board, three-eighths of an inch deep, for an entrance, 

 which allows more or less ventilation to be given accord- 

 ing as the body of the hive is pushed forwards or back- 

 wards on the board. 



The brood chamber is intended to contain ten narrow 

 frames of comb; the super, if worked for extracting, 

 has generally nine of the same frames, the intermediate 

 spaces being left a little wider than in the brood chamber. 

 The half -story supers are made to contain either shallow 

 frames, with section boxes, or a section rack. An 

 inside covering mat is placed on top of the frames in the 

 hive or super just under the cover. The stands and the 

 bottom of the floor-board may be painted a dark colour ; 

 the hive itself is better if either white or a light tint; 

 the top of the roof should in any case be nearly white, 

 in order the better to cast off the hot rays of the sun in 

 summer. 



These hives can be procured at very moderate prices, 

 and very complete in every respect, from the manufac- 

 turers. For the convenience of those who wish to put 

 their own hives together and to save expense in the 

 transport, they can be had in the flat, that is, all the 

 separate parts complete and ready to be nailed together, 

 and packed as close together as possible in crates or 

 packages containing several hives. Should a beginner 

 decide to purchase his hives in the flat, he should obtain 

 one made up as a pattern, so as to avoid mistakes in 

 putting the others together, though the following 

 instructions will help him in this respect. 



INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING THE HIVES. 



The first important point to be observed is to use 

 none but thoroughly seasoned timber that will neither 

 shrink or twist after it is made up. Every corre- 

 sponding part in all hives, be they two or two thousand, 



