240 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



MORE THAN ONE NUCLEUS IN HIVE. 



The frames for nuclei are the regular full-sized frames, 

 and a full hive may be used for each nucleus, but it is economy 

 to have the hive divided up into two or three compartments for 

 as many nuclei. Three nuclei in one hive are mutually help- 

 ful in keeping up the heat, and thus it is possible to have the 

 nuclei vpeaker than if each nucleus werei by itself, while results 

 are as good with the three weaker nuclei in the one hive as with 

 three stronger nuclei in three separate hives. 



NUCLEUS HIVE. 



For many years I have had hives divided into two or more 

 compartments, and ha^'e had much trouble from the bees find- 

 ing a passage from one compartment to another, but my latest 

 nucleus hives have not troubled in that way. They are made 

 from ordinary 8-frame hives together with the 2-inch-deep bot- 

 tom-board. First, two pieces are nailed on the inside of the 

 bottom-board, each piece 18^ x 1% x %• One piece is nailed 

 4% inches from one side, the other 4% inches from the other 

 side. These pieces do not lie flat in the bottom, but stand on 

 edge, with 1% inches between them. Then the hive is fastened 

 on the bottom-board with the usual four staples. Two division- 

 boards, each 18^4 x 9% x 5-16, are now put in place and crowd- 

 ed down tight upon the two pieces in the bottom-board. These 

 two division-boards are 4% inches from each side, leaving 2% 

 inches between them. The four spaces at the top, at the ends 

 of the division-boards, are closed by blocks % x % x 5-16, 

 whittled enough to allow them to be wedged into place. Light 

 114-inch wire nails are driven through from the outside to hold 

 the division boards in place. A block 10 x 2 x % is pushed 

 into the entrance centrally, and held there by a nail lightly 

 driven in front of it. That leaves an entrance at each end of 

 the block for the two side compartments, but no entrance for 

 the middle compartment. For this purpose an inch hole is 

 bored in the back end of the hive midway between the two cor- 

 ners, its center being about three inches from the upper sur- 

 face of the hive. Three boards of half -inch stuff cover the 

 three compartments, and over this is an ordinary hive-cover, 



