APPLIANCES 



25 



some extent, no matter how well it is painted. The height of 

 the riser is immaterial, as if made shallow others can be pro- 

 vided to increase the height We use them from gin. to 1 1 in. high. 

 The illustration shows how the roof is formed It is made of 

 fin. stuff, and has a ventilating hole at back and front under the 

 eaves at the top of the ridge ; this is covered with wire gauze to 

 prevent the ingress of insect pests. The ventilators allow of 

 the escape of moisture which would otherwise accumulate in the 

 inside during winter, and so cause dysentery among the bees and 

 rotting of the quilts. The roof is made of a size to just loosely fit 

 over the riser without plinths. There is a " stop " all round the 

 inside |in. from the bottom edge ; this rests on the edge of the riser 

 when the roof is in position. 



All our hives stand upon platforms of creosoted wood. These 

 platforms consist of two pieces of yellow deal iiin. by 24in. by lin., 

 battened together. There is a great difficulty in getting the boards 

 creosoted ; in this condition they are practically indestructible, 

 except by fire ; if they are coated instead with hot gas-tar and then 

 covered with hot sand they will last for years. 



A cheaper form of hive 

 for cottagers' use is here 

 shown. The floor-board, 

 made of ^in. pine, rests 

 upon two battens, 3in. by ' 

 Jin., placed edgeways and 

 sloped at the front end 

 to support the alighting- 

 board. The body-box is 

 formed of four pieces of 

 pine, the front piece being 

 lyin. full by lofin. by 

 Jin., and the back lyin. 

 full by 1 1 in. by Jin. The 

 two sides are I74in. by 

 iiin. by 4in., and on 

 three sides there are 

 plinths 3in. by -Jin. The 

 inner walls are i6in. by 8iin. by 4in. ; the spaces between the 

 inner and outer walls are not blocked in with wood, but are filled 

 up with sawdust or chaff. This body-box must be fitted up with 

 ten frames and a division-board, as in the hive la=t described. 

 The riser consists simply of four pieces of wood nailed together ; 

 the front and back pieces being iSJin. by iiin. by 4in., and the 

 sides i8Jin. by iiin. by 4in. At 4in. from the inside bottom 

 edge a stop is nailed all round, so as to rest upon the top edge 

 of the body-box when placed in position. This riser during 

 winter can be made to cover the body-box, by removing the porch, 

 which is not a fixture, and inverting the riser over the body-box, 

 thus adding materially to the comfort of the inmates. The roof is 



Cottager's Bar-frame Hive. 



