136 A Modem Bet-Farm 



about the body boxes or supers, and therefore very little 

 propolisation, and less risk of crushing bees. 



Notwithstanding the open space between the lower and 

 upper chamber (and the other compartments when so 

 arranged), and around the same, it may be as well to meet 

 any enquiry regarding this arrangement by at once stating 

 that with frames or sections having wax guides directly 

 under the brood-nest, comb building will never be carried 

 on outside of the hive proper, and seldom to any extent 

 in the lower frames, where the surplus is properly looked 

 after ; except where the super of sections is started below 

 with full sheets of foundation, and the entrance contracted 

 meanwhile for the purpose of encouraging work there. 



The Large Entrance Accommodation 



is a great feature in Simmins' Hanging-Chamber Hive ; 

 in summer it may be some 18 inches by 2 inches deep. 

 Next we have the independent space all round the lower 

 rim of the Non-Swarming Chamber, and between it and 

 the floor, a further opening of 70 inches by ^-inch. But 

 more than this, taking the upper spaces between three 

 other chambers, we get another clear spacing equal to 

 210 inches by ^-inch deep, or a grand total of entrance 

 accommodation of over 120 square inches. The fact cannot 

 be denied that such a feat has never before been accom- 

 plished in a modern bee-hive, in solid workable practice, 

 and with results in honey-production far in excess of the 

 restricted, non-ventilating methods still adopted by the 

 majority of bee-keepers. 



Perfect Ventilation 



cannot be secured in any other manner, either in summer 

 or winter. Many of the old masters have striven to 

 secure thorough ventilation by using perforated metal 



