44 
MANUAL OF APICULTURE. 
spaces filled with chaff, ground cork, or similar material, or else outer 
cases should be provided giving space between the latter and the hive 
proper for dry packing. As the bees always try to glue the frames 
fast by means of propolis, it is better to make them rest on strips of tin, 
galvanized iron, or band iron. The rabbet should therefore be made 
eleven- sixteenths inch deep, and the strip of iron or other metal frame- 
rest nailed on so that its edge will project upward five-sixteenths inch 
from the bottom of the rabbet. Folded strips of tin as made by manu- 
facturers of apiarian implements are preferable to single strips nailed 
on, since they facilitate the sliding of frames and do not cut the top bars 
where the latter rest upon them (fig. 28). The projecting ends of 
the top bars being one-fourth inch thick, the bars themselves come 
within one-eighth inch of the upper edge of the hive. It is essential 
that the distance between the ends of the frames and the hive should 
not exceed three-eighths inch, lest in time of plenty the bees should 
build comb there; nor can less than one-fourth inch space be allowed, 
for if the bees can not readily pass around the ends of frames of the 
Langstroth type they will glue the frames to the side walls of the hive, 
making it very difficult, if not 
impossible, to remove them 
without breakage. If, as sug- 
gested, the frames are made 
one- fourth inch shorter at the 
bottom than at the top, that 
is, 17| inches at bottom and 
17§ inches at top, the hive 
should then be 18£ inches in- 
side from front to rear, the 
frames running in this direction. If the frames are accurately made 
there will then be one fourth inch space at each end of the frame just 
below the top bar and three-eighths inch at each end of the bottom 
bar. Between the frames and the bottom board, on which the hive 
rests, one-half inch space answers, but five-eighths inch is preferable. 
The width of the hive will depend, of course, upon the number of frames 
decided upon, If inches being allowed for each frame, and three-eighths 
inch added for the extra space at the side. If a top story to contain 
frames for extracting is placed over the brood chamber, its depth is to 
be such as to leave the space between the two sets of combs not over 
five-sixteenths inch, and in this, as in the lower story, the space between 
the ends of the frames and the hive wall should be no more than three- 
eighths inch. A good way to keep rain from beating in between the 
stories and also to retain the warmth of the bees in outdoor wintering, 
yet admit of suitable provision for the upward escape of moisture, is 
to have the second story fit over the top of the lower one, and rest on 
ledges made by nailing strips around the latter one-half inch below the 
upper edge. As this makes the upper story nearly 2 inches larger from 
front to rear than the lower one: it will be necessary when arranging 
Fig. 28.— Section of improved tin frame-rest: J., folded 
edge on which frame rests; B and B. nails. (From 
Gleanings.) 
