16 
THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
Germany, who in the year 1845 first brought 
it into notice. He made his hives with bars 
one inch wide placed half an inch apart, on 
which the bees had to build their combs; 
these combs when loosened from the sides and 
bottom of the hive hung on the bars only and 
could easily be removed therewith ; but this 
invention was soon found to be capable of 
further improvement, and Baron von Berlepsch 
succeeded in constructing a frame which 
enclosed the comb all round, instead of the 
bar at the top only. This was a decided and 
most important advance in the right direction, 
but the question yet remained as to what was 
the proper size for the hive and frames. The 
Baron and another German (l)atne’s) never 
tired investigating and experimenting in that 
direction till they completed the hive which 
is now almost universally used in Germany, 
Austria and Russia, in fact nearly throughout 
all Europe, and which in my opinion com- 
bines not only all the requirements for the 
easy treatment of the bees, but is 
most suitable to their nature and habits, 
as I shall endeavour to show in another 
article. In America about the same time, 
or a little later, Mr. Langstroth invented 
the Hive now generally used there, and 
which very much resembled the Berlepsch 
Hive, which at first was opened at the top, 
and the combs were taken out in the same 
manner as is now done in the Langstroth 
Hive, and in England various kinds of frame 
hives have been introduced from time to time, 
amongst which the Woodbury- cottage Hive 
is perhaps the best. But both the Langstroth 
and Woodbury Hives have many objection- 
able features, which defects have been 
remedied in the Berlepsch Hive, and I 
notice that any alterations that have been 
of late made in the various kinds of hives 
approach more the Berlepsch than either 
the Langstroth or Woodbury principle. 
There is no doubt that the size of the hive, as 
is admitted on all sides, is one of the most 
important points no matter what principle 
may be adopted, and has a very considerable 
effect in producing a successful result or 
otherwise ; it is also necessary for the econom- 
ical and convenient working of an apiary 
that there should he one standard for both 
hives and frames, which should all be made to 
one exact pattern, so that they can be used 
indiscriminately as occasion may require ; in 
fact, it would be advisable that this principle 
should be carried out in a whole district if 
possible ; but, of course, this might not in all 
cases be practicable, as every beekeeper has 
his own fancy in this as in other matters. 
However, whatever kind is adopted, I should 
advise the beginner to get at least one sample 
hive from an expert, and then he can make all 
his hives to this model. The different kinds 
of the American and other hives have 
already been so frequently described in the 
journals of the day, that they are therefore, I 
presume, pretty well understood by those 
interested in such matters, but as an account 
of the hive used by me has not hitherto 
been published so far as I am aware in 
the Australian Press, it is my intention 
to give a detailed description of it, and 
the exact measurements of the structure 
thoughout. I shall also explain the various 
points wherein it differs from other frame 
hives, giving at the same time my reasons for 
preferring it to any of the others. First, 
the hive itself is made of well-seasoned f 
inch boards, dovetailed and firmly nailed ; 
inside measurement ! 23 \ inches in height, 
9jr-int'hes wide, and 16 inches deep from back 
to front. It is divided into two compartments, 
the lower or brood room being 15 inches, and 
the upper or honey room 7f inches in height, 
with a half inch partition between the two ; a 
small opening about 3 inches long by 3-16 
wide in the front of the partition board admits 
the bees from the lower to the upper storey, 
which can be closed or left open as desired, a 
small slip of wood being made for this pur- 
pose to fit over it. And in addition to this 
means of communication, a portion of the 
partition in the middle about 3 inches wide is 
made movable, so that when honey is very 
plentiful this piece can be taken out also, in 
order to give easier access from below. A 
groove J inch in depth and width is made in 
the side walls of the honey room from back to 
front exactly a j- of an inch below the top 
board for the honey frames to hang on, and a 
second similar groove is made in the brood 
room at the same distance below the partition 
board for the brood frames, while 7f inches 
lower is made a third groove the same size as 
the other two, so that small or honey frames 
can be used then as well. 
The honey room contains 1 0 small frames, 
and the brood room 10 large or 20 of the small 
ones, which are just half the size, and each 
room has a glass door to fit in at the back of 
the frames. The entrance for the bees in front, 
which should be inches wide by J-inch in 
height, is made about an inch trom the 
bottom, and can be closed or opened by a small 
zinc slide fixed on the outside; underneath the 
entrance is a board 8 inches wide, and pro- 
jecting about 2| inches, for the bees to alight 
on when returning honey-laden or wearied 
after a long flight. The door is at the back, 
and is the whole size of that part of the hive, 
so that when it is removed or opened the 
interior of both compartments can be seen 
without d’sturbing the occupants. In the 
door is a movable slide or jalousie, which is 
