The Bingham Hive. 13& 



bees we can separate the combs at once, at any place. The 

 chamber can be enlarged or diminished simply by adding or. 

 withdrawing frames. As the hooks are on all four corners of 

 the frames, the frames can be either end back, or either side 

 up. This arrangement, which permits the inversion of the 

 frames, is greatly praised by those who have tried it. It is 

 claimed, that by turning a frame bottom up the comb will be 

 fastened above and below, and the bees, in their haste to carry 

 the honey from the bottom of the frames, will rush at once into 

 the sections. Boards with iron hooks close the side of the 

 brood cavity, while a cloth covers the frames. 



The entrance (Fig 51, e) is cut in the bottom-board as 

 already explained, except that the lateral edges are kept 

 parallel. A strip of sheet-iron (Fig. 61, d) is tacked across 

 this, on which rest the ends of the front end-bars of the frames 

 which stand above, and underneath which pass the bees aa 

 they come to and go from the hive. A box, without bottom 

 and with movable top, covers all, leaving a space from four to 

 six inches above and on all sides between it and the frames. 

 This gives chance to pack with chaff in winter, and for side 

 and top storing in sections in summer. 



The Bingham hive (Fig. 52) is not only remarkably simple, 

 but is as remarkable for its shallow depth ; the frames being 

 only five inches high. These have no bott -bar. ; The end- 

 bars are one and a half inches wide, and the top-bai' square. 

 The nails that hold the end-bars pass into the end ol* the top 

 bar, which is usually placed diagonally, so that an edge, not 

 a face, is below; though some are made with a face below 

 (Fig. 52, /), to be used when comb is transferred. The 

 frames are held together by two wires, one at each end. Each 

 wire (Fig. 52, a) is a little longer than twice the width of the 

 hive when the maximum number of frames are used. The 



Fig. 52. 



Frames -and Bottom-Board of the Bingham Hive. 



