HIVES AND BOXES. 33 



thin wood — a piece of a broken tea-chest will do admirably — 

 and place one between each of the collateral boxes and the cen- 

 tre one, so as to cut off communication between them, until it is 

 desired to open it, when of course one of them is withdrawn, 

 and, at the same time, the side-box, thus opened, will be 

 pushed close to the central one. Let the standboard be on an 

 inclined plane, sloping towards the front, so as to throw off wet, 

 and let the said board project a couple of inches, to serve the 

 bees as a place on which to alight. You may make a small hole, 

 about half an inch, or rather less, in diameter, in front of this 

 centre box, partly in the box, and partly in the board, for the 

 ingress and egress of its inhabitants. If the board have a pro- 

 per inclination outward, there is no fear of any wet either pene- 

 trating or lodging. Paint your boxes externally, but do so a 

 considerable time before you require to use them, and encom- 

 pass them, with the best sort of rough shed that you can 

 " knock up ;" bore a hole, with a centre bit, in the top of each 

 box, and place a glass vessel over it. When it is necessary to 

 feed your bees, you can do so by attaching a feeder to the en- 

 trance door, and the holes for the bell glasses will afford you am- 

 ple means of ventilating. In case they should not, however, you 

 may have a hole at the back of each box, stopped with a cork, 

 which you can withdraw for the admission of air when neces- 

 sary. Take care, however, that you do not push the cork en- 

 tirely through the wood of the box, or it will be so cemented by 

 propolis, that you cannot, perhaps, draw it out without injury or 

 disturbance to the combs. Such a set of boxes as I describe 

 may be made easily enough, and for little or no cost, and will 

 answer all purposes of utility, though, perhaps, deficient in or- 

 nament, as well as the most costly and elaborate. 

 Mr. Briggs, on the formation of bee-boxes, says : 

 " They should be chosen, or constructed, of as good quality 

 as possible, so as to effectually preserve their contents from 

 either extreme heat or cold, dampness, or any sudden changes of 

 temperature. 



" The size of the centre box should be about ten and one-half 

 inches cube, inside measure ; and it would be an advantage to 

 have six bars fixed across the top of it, from front to back, 

 which should be one and one-eighth inch in width, half an inch 

 in thickness, and half an inch apart — the ends of each of which 

 should be neatlv rabbeted into the front and back of the box. 



