18 Hi f -],et J:'i III/ III ]' ir/niii . 



when correctly spaced the bees will often huild comb into these spaces and 

 (III to the end wall of the hi\e. Further, every time a hive is moved the 

 frames have to he secured in some way to prevent them knocking against 

 one another and crushing bees, and for these reasons self-spacing frames 

 are more advantageous. The difference in the first cost between Simpbcity 

 and self-spacing frames is onl\- js. to 2s. 6d. per hundred frames. Wide 

 top bar Hoffmann frames as used in America are somewhat difficult to uncap 

 vlien extracting ; as the comfi of honey when sealed does not project beyond 

 the wide top bar, it canudt be used as a guide for the uncapping knife, as 

 can be done with the .Simplicity or the Hoffmann, with a f inch x -| inch 

 top bar as shown in I''igure 7. 



One drawback of Hoffmann frames is that the bees often fasten the side 

 bars of the frames together wdth wax or propolis. The latter is a sub- 

 stance gathered by the bees for tlie purpose of filling up any interstices 

 or crevices in the hi^'e. It consists of resin, wattle-gum, tar, paint, cart- 

 grease, and similar substances. In some districts, propoHs is a great 

 nuisance to the beekeeper. Some strains of bees will daub it e^-erywhere 

 inside the hi\-e. To overcome this difficulty, and also tliat of uncapping 

 Hoffmann wide top f>ar frames, and yet ha\-e a self-spacing frame, a number 

 of apiarists, including thi- writer, has adopted the frame shown in Figure 

 8. It has a top bar '^ inch wide, h inch thick., bottom bar | inch x f inch, 

 and side bars ig in. x h in. The top and bottom bars are nailed on so 

 that the side bar projects on the reverse side at the opposite end. The 

 spacing is obtained by four stout flat-headed nails driven into the side 

 bars and projecting ^ inch, as shown in the illustration (Fig. 8). These 

 frames are not stocked by manufacturers, but will be made to order if 

 ordered in sufficient quantities. They can however easily be made by anv 

 one at all handy with tools, the only difference betw^een them and the Sim- 

 plicity frames being that the side bars are i^ inch instead cf 1 inch, and 

 that the frames are nail sjiaced instead of loose hanging. 



The Heddon hanging frame hive, also known as the Bolton hive, is 

 what is called a sectional hi\-e. The hive consists of shallow bodies 5f 

 inches deep, with self-spacing frames sjl inches deep. The advantages 

 claimed for it are that it can be readily expanded or reduced in size ac 

 cording to conditions and season by adding or remo\'ing stories ; that 

 swarming can be pre^•ented or controlled by means of inverting the sets 

 of frames at intervals, thus causing the destruction of queen cells, and 

 that shallow supers are easier to lift and handle when full of honev, and 

 the shallow combs easier to uncap than deep ones. 



As an offset again.st these advantages, it must be mentioned that the 

 Heddon hi\-e costs more, that double the number of combs have to be 

 handled when extracting, and that the splitting up of the hive into .so 

 many sets of frames by the intervening bee spaces has a tendencv to re 

 tard breeding up in spring. 



In connexion with this, I should like to say that the correct bee space 

 tetween set of frames in the stories of a hi\-e is -]- inch. In the hives pur- 

 chased from manufacturers too much allowance is made (generally) for 

 shrinkage of timber, lea\-ing up to '^ inch between the stories. This excessive 

 space first acts as a great check on the bees entering the super in spring, 

 while later on it is filled with comb and honev, and is a hindrance and 

 nuisance every time a hi\-e is opened, also caushig the death of manv bees 

 when frames are replaced in supers without first removing the pieces of 



