THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
53 
Original Contributions. 
HIVES. 
CONTINUBD FBOM PAGE 25. 
Towards the end of our article iu the last 
number on hives reference was made to raising 
the brood-box and frames somewhat higher 
than the ordinary J from the bottom by means 
of a } inch Blip nailed around the two sides and 
back of bottom board, omitting it in front, thus 
leaving an entrance 1 inch high and the whole 
width of the hive. In Heddon’s new hive, and 
several other hivesof recent pattern, the height 
of this entrance is full bee space, or | of an inch. 
There seems a tendency among American 
apiarists to limit the number of frames in the 
brood-box from 10 to 8, as it is stated the bees 
will store in supers earlier and more readily if 
the number of frames are barely more than 
would be filled by brood in a strong colony. 
Supers, Hale Story and Pull Story. — 
Supers may be either of half story or full story 
depth. Iu both of these either 1 lb. section 
boxes for comb honey or frames for extracting 
may be used for surplus honey. If extracted 
honey is to be worked for, ordinary frames will 
suit for the full story super, indeed it will be 
a counterpart of the brood chamber. If a half- 
story the frames will be the same length as in 
the brood chamber, but only inches deep 
instead of 9J, as in the full frame. 
If section boxes are to be used, either wide 
frames for holding them, or a crate or rack to 
fit inside the super and to hold the section 
boxes will be required. 
Section boxes are now so well known as 
scarcely to need description, we may, however, 
state for the sake of beginners, that they arc 
made from thin boards of willow, poplar, or clear 
pine, about l thick and 1 J inches wide. Pour 
pieces form a box, each piece being Id long. 
Although called a box, it is in reality a small 
frame and when filled holds just about 1 lb. of 
honey. They are made so cheaply now by the 
American and English manufacturers that no 
one would think of constructing any for them- 
selves. The cost in the colonies is about 25s. 
per 1000. They can bo obtained in packages 
“ ™ /fat,” that is, the wood is made all ready 
to slip together and are either in four pieces 
with dovetailed ends to each piece, by means 
of which they are quickly fitted together, or in 
one long piece (called one piece sections) dove- 
tailed at the two ends like the other form of 
section, and having a V groove at proper dis- 
tances, which makes the wood so thin at these 
places that the slip can be easily bent into the 
proper form and the dovetailed ends fixed to- 
gether when the box or frame is formed. 
Although full storyed supers are sometimes 
used in rich honey-producing localities, they 
are regarded as unhandy, and most beekeepers 
prefer two half story supers to n full one. 
Section boxes as stated above may be fitted 
in the Bupers either by help of wide frames, or 
of crates or racks. For wide frames the super 
must be provided with the usual rabbett and 
tin runners. The frames themselves are made 
as follows : — Top bars 19J in. long, If in. 
wide and } in. thick ; end bars 4-J in. long. 
If in. wide and | in. thick ; bottom bars 174 in- 
king, If in. wide and } in. thick ; bottom sides 
of end bars to be nailed to end of bottom bar. 
Crates are light frames or trays made to fit 
inside the super and hold 28 section boxes. 
They are made in various forms, but there is 
one essential feature that we advise should be 
always carefully attended to, namely, the form 
and character of the bottom of the crate, which 
really forms a “honey board the same feature 
is equally important where the sections arc in 
wide frames. Whenever any frames or boxes 
are placed above the brood nest, bees are al- 
most sure to fill up the intervening space with 
wax or comb, so as to connect the brood frames 
beneath to the boxes or frames above, if they 
possibly can. If there is no space left between 
them they glue them together with propolis, 
and if there be space, they fix them with wax 
and if the space be large enough, with actual 
comb. It is found that if there is a bare bee- 
space (f of an inch), they do not fix them to- 
gether so much, hut often sufficiently to make 
it difficult to take out the crate or remove the 
super frames without breakage, and angering 
the bees. The best plan of all is that adopted 
by Heddon and other American beekeepers, 
namely, to arrange a honey board of thin slats 
(the same length as the frames aDd about an 
inch wide) in such a way, that the slats them- 
selves are exactly over the spaces between the 
frames, while the spaces between the slats them- 
selves (about a 1 of an inch wide) are over the 
centre of the top bars of the frames, the slats 
being nearly | of an inch above the frames. By 
this contrivance the passages upwards are in- 
terrupted by the slats, which make albreak- joint 
honey board. Of course, it is essential the 
frames are all properly arranged and spaced in 
the brood box, so that the slats cover the spaces 
exactly. Such an arrangement is known as 
Heddon’s Honey Board. 
(To be continued.) 
Objections to too Free Use of Founda- 
tion. — Several experienced apieulturists are 
suggesting that we are doing wrong to supply 
all the wax bees require for their combs in the 
shape of foundation, and contend it is better 
for the bees, and for their keepers, that the 
natural secretion of wax should take place. 
They, therefore, advocate the use of shallow 
“ starters ’’ instead of full sheets of foundation 
in the frames. In cases where bees are put 
into new hives on account of foul brood in the 
old one, there is no doubt those cases succeed 
best where the bees have to secrete nearly all 
the wax for the new combs. 
