172 THE BEE-HIVES. 



354. The upper story or 

 cover may be a half-story 

 cap, in one piece (fig. 65), or 

 in two pieces (fig. 70), or, 

 if only full stories are used 

 for surplus, it may be a 

 shallow cover (flg. 78) , which j 

 will fit over either the first J 

 or the second story. We ^" 

 prefer the half-story cap, I'ig. 78. 



which can be readily filled blanton's two-story hive. 

 with absorbents for Winter, and is adapted to any style of 

 supers.* 



355. The caps must fit freely so as to be easily removed. 

 They may be made of lighter lumber than the body of the 

 hive, to save fatigue to the Apiarist in handling them. The 

 top of the hive must be water-tight. Cracks, knots and 

 seams should be avoided, or should be thoroughly painted 

 with roof-cement. Before putting together the boards 

 which form the top of the cap of our hives, we make, along 

 both sides of the joints, a rounded groove, three-eighths of 

 an inch wide and one- fourth of an inch deep, in which the 

 rain-water runs, instead of leaking inside. Mr. McCord of 

 Oxford, O., makes the covers of his hives water-tight, by 

 covering them with strong muslin, tacked on with a strip 

 nailed to the edges, and thoroughly painted. Mr. G. M. 

 Doolittle of Borodino, N. Y., and Dr. C. C. Miller, of Ma- 

 rengo, 111., both among the leading bee- writers and success-, 

 ful producers of honey, use tin, painted white, on the tops 

 of their hives. The Swiss and French bee-keepers do the 

 same. 



366. The hives should always be painted, not only to 

 make them last, but to give them a neat appearance. No 



• TMb term 1b used by Apiarists to desigaate any upper box place(} oyer the 

 main lowei hive. 



