26 



THE BOOK OF BEE-KEEPING. 



made of |in stuff, and fits over the riser. This hive will accom- 

 modate three tiers of section-racks or two of shallow frame supers. 

 If you desire to add a larger number of supers than this to the hive, 

 cover the exposed supers with sacks, tie the loose ends tightly 

 round the riser, and place the roof over all ; although, perhaps, 

 somewhat unsightly, this arrangement is economical and effective. 



44. Dmumy-boards. — All dummy-boards to hives should be 

 prevented from warping by having battens, or end pieces of wood, 

 nailed on in an opposite direction to the grain of the wood. The 

 boards are preferably made with cushions on each edge, preventing 

 sticking, and adapting them to any inequalities of the hive. 



45. Quilts. — We are strong advocates of enamel (American) 

 cloth quilts next the frames, placing them on with the enamel 

 side down. They are quite a boon, especially with very 

 irritable bees, removal being comparatively easy — so different 

 to woven material, which is usually fixed so firmly by the bees that 

 they become irritated before one can remove it from off the 

 frames. When using these quilts, it is essential that plenty of 

 warm coverings be placed above them, and that the stocks be 

 very strong, or the condensation of the atmosphere will produce 

 too much dampness. In the matter of quilts one cannot err on 

 the side of too large a quantity or too great a thickness. Cover 

 the frames up as thickly at one season as the other ; the bees will 

 appreciate the comfort of a thick covering when the sun's scorching 

 rays beat down upon the hive, as they will when the perishing 

 north-east wind blows furiously through the apiarj'. 



46. rrames. — As before recommended, all frames should be 

 the Association standard size ; the illustration will give you this. 

 All are outside measurements. The top bar is fin. thick, the side 



bars Jin., and the bottom 

 bar -J-in. Shallow frames 

 are frequently used for 

 e.xtracting purposes ; these 

 are simply made like 

 brood-frames, but shal- 

 lower, 5Jin. from top to 

 bottom bar. The object 

 is that a whole set of these 

 combs may be placed on 

 a hive without a too 

 sudden or great enlarge- 

 ment, which would be the 

 case if a set of standard frames were placed on in a like manner. 



47. Frame Spacing. — It is the custom of many advanced 

 bee-keepers to space their frames in the hive by the eye, 

 assisted with the tips of the fingers ; this can easily be done 

 with a little practice, but it is not ad\isable for beginners to 

 attempt this. All should use distance-keepers— the distance from 



The Association standard Frame, with 

 Metal Ends. 



