24 
THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
of the same exact pattern throughout. A 
frame hive consists of several parts designated 
as follows : — 1st, the bottom board on which 
the hive stands which forms the floor of the 
hive ; 2nd, the body, box, or brood chamber ; 
3rd, cover or roof ; 4tli, the frames which fit 1 
into the brood chamber. These together 
would form a one-storied hive ; if it were two 
storied, there would be two bodies, or boxes, 
one above the other, and frames in both, 
surmounted by the roof. Or it may be a one- 
and-a-lialf story hive where a shallow box half 
the depth of the brood chamber is placed above 
it, to contain shallow frames or section boxes ; 
or we may tier up two, three, or more boxes of 
the full size one above the other, each box 
containing its frames or sections and the 
roof surmounting all. 
It will be useless to describe here the various 
forms of frame hives in use in Europe, America, 
and elsewhere ; for full descriptions can be 
found among the various bee boohs ; moreover, 
the Australian Beekeepers’ Associations, have 
agreed among themselves to adopt the form 
known as the “ Langstroth Frame Hive.” 
The dimensions of the several parts of a 
Langstroth hive are as follow : — 
1st. Boxes, inside measure, IS a inches by 141- 
inches by 10 inches high. These are 
generally made of boards J of an inch thick. 
This size is used for brood chambers and 
for full storys. 
2nd. Half -story boxes are the same dimensions 
as the boxes or brood chambers, but 
5 instead of 10 inches high. 
3rd. Bottom boards are made in various ways ; 
they are generally constructed of J inch 
board, either in one piece or jointed, being 
cleated underneath with 2x3 quartering, j 
or stuff at least 1 J inch thick ; I think 
2x3 quartering is the most satisfactory. 
The actual size of the bottom board will 
depend upon whether a separate alight- 
ing board is preferred ; if it is, the board 
should be 1G inches wide, or perhaps 
161 inches, and its length 20j inches or 
201 inches ; I believe the separate alight- ; 
ing board is best. If, however, the bottom 
board is to form alighting board also, its 
length should be increased by about 
3 inches, making it, say, 2 feet from back 
to front, which -will allow of projecting in 
front 31 inches for alighting board. It is, 
I think, desirable to have the alighting- 
hoard separate, and fixed to the bottom 
board with pins or dowels, so that it can 
be removed and replaced easily ; it should 
be made to slope dow-nwards enough at its 
outer edge to throw off any rain that falls 
on it. Such an alighting board should be 
the whole width of the hive, and project 
about 3 inches. 
4th. Koofs or covers can be made of almost 
any form ; the two best for Langstroth 
hives are the sloping gable roof cover, as 
in the new simplicity hive, or the flat 
roof, which is higher in front, and slopes 
enough towards the back to throw oil rain 
readily. This latter is the cheapest, and 
most easily made, and is, I think, the 
most convenient, although not so pic- 
turesque as the gabled roof. 
5th. Frames. — The proper dimensions of 
frames for Langstroth hives are as 
follow : — Top bar — 19J inches long, J 
inches wide, and f or 3-inch thick. Bottom 
bar — 1 7s inches long, f inches wide, } Or 
3-inch thick. Sides or ends — 8J inches 
long, f inches wide, 3 inches thick. The 
top and bottom bars are to be nailed on to 
the ends of side bars, so that the outside 
dimensions of 1 he frame will be 17! inches 
wide, and 9J inches deep, with J-inch 
projecting shoulders for suspending the 
frames on the runners in the boxes. If 
the top bar is J-inch thick, f-inch must 
be cut away from under side of each end 
for a space of 1! inches, and the side or 
end bar nailed close up to the angle, 
when the dimensions of the frame will 
come out right. Either -J-inch, or f-inch 
thickness can be used for bottom bar ; if 
the former, the end bars must be 8f -inches 
instead of 8|-inches to maintain the 
pu-oper size to the frame. The frames 
have to be suspended in the box, or brood 
chamber, so that when in position, the 
upper surface of the top bar shall be 
even, or flush with the top edge of the 
box. This is done in this way where 
frames run from front to back, as is the 
case in the Langstroth. A rabbet is cut 
on the inside top of the back and front of 
the box, to a depth of T ° w inch, that is, 
from the top edge downwards, and f-inch 
from within outwards ; strips of tin about 
1-inch w r ide, having the upper edge 
doubled back or folded J-inch are now 
nailed on to the inside surface of the 
sides of the box below the rabbet, so that 
the folded edge projects just above the 
bottom of the rabbet. These tin strips 
are called runners, and if fixed as 
described, will carry the frames so that 
the surfaces of the top bars are level with 
the top of the box, and there will be just 
bee space in the rabbet beneath the 
shoulders of the frames, and also nearly 
3 -inch bee space between ends of frames 
and inside of box, and the same between 
bottom of frames and bottom board. 
This latter bottom space of f-inch is now 
considered too small, as not admitting of 
sufficient space for the bees to properly 
ventilate their hive when much crowded 
in hot weather, and an extra J, or f-inch 
altogether, is now advocated. To obtain 
this a j-inch strip) can be nailed on to the 
bottom board, at the two sides and at the 
back, exactly the same as the box itself; this 
leaves a j-inch opening - , the whole width 
of the front, for entrance. In order to 
