180 Cloth Covers. 



Mr. Heddon in his excellent book follows the English 

 and calls this a dummy. It is especially useful in au- 

 tumn, winter, and spring in contracting the hive, and 

 thus economizing heat, and at the harvest seasons in 

 contracting the brood chamber, so as to secure the 

 honey in the sections when 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 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 divis- 

 ion board when it swells from dampness. 



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 bee3 in the sections, to convert our 

 hives into nucleus hives, and in case we secure comb 

 honey in two-story hives, which however is not much 

 practiced now, to contract the upper chamber when 

 the season first opens. 



CLOTH COVERS. 



After the honey season is over, and the weather be- 

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

 remove the honey board, if in use, and to cover above 

 the bees with a piece of heavy factory cloth, which thus 

 forms the immediate cover for the bees in winter. 



It will be noted that I had^ made no mention in the 

 above of metal rabbets or more correctly metal supports. 

 I have tried these for years, and have usually recom- 

 mended them, but for the past two years I have omitted 

 them, and think I shall have no further use for them in 

 my hives._ If we wish them we have only to cut .the 

 rabbet a little deeper, and tack inside the hive, just be- 



