130 AUSTRALASIAN 



should be very thin, and may consist principally of red lead 

 and linseed oil — I believe equal parts of raw and boiled oil to 

 be the best. The heads of the nails should be punched in 

 before applying the first coat, and the holes be puttied 

 as well as the joints before giving the second. The colour 

 of the second and third coats ought to be white or nearly so ; on 

 no account should hives that are to be exposed to the sun's 

 rays be of a dark colour. The whiter the hives are the cooler 

 will the interior be in hot weather. White paint, made even 

 of the very best lead, does not last long when exposed to the 

 sun ; but if a little black be mixed with it, just sufficient to 

 give it a very slight slate tint, it will last much longer. 

 Bubber paint for the last coat answers very well indeed, and 

 is more lasting than white lead. 



The under side of the bottom boards and stands may be 

 painted with a cheaper paint ; I find hematite paint to answer 

 the purpose, but the part exposed on the upper side and the 

 alighting board should be white. 



FRAMES. 



From what has already been stated at the beginning of this 

 chapter, the reader will understand that the frames of a hive 

 are those movable structures, suspended within the body, in 

 which the combs are built. There are two kinds generally 

 used, each adapted for a different purpose, viz., the narrow or 

 brood frame and the broad or section frame. The narrow 

 frame is invariably used in the lower or breeding part of the 

 hive as being most suitable for the brood combs, and is also 

 used in the super when working for extracted honey. The 

 broad frame is specially adapted for holding section boxes 

 when raising comb-honey, and is rarely used for any other 

 purpose. 



NARROW OR BROOD FRAMES. 



It is of great importance that the timber used for making 

 frames as well as the hives should be thoroughly seasoned, and 

 that the different parts of the frames be cut exact in size. It 

 is frequently necessary to shift one or more frames from one 

 hive to another, so that if all hives and frames are not the. 

 exact counterpart of each other, there will be no end of vexa- 

 tion and trouble. The width of the timber out of which the 



