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. 
Rubber 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 
