1^0 Rev. Mr Jameson 07i constructing Bee- Hives of Wood^ 
connected with straw-hives, is the impossibility of securing them 
from human depredators. M. Huish has proposed one of the 
most useful methods of securing the straw-hives from thieves, 
but still there is no great difficulty of very quietly robbing his 
secured hive. 
To remedy these evils, wooden-hives have been proposed, and 
could they be so constructed as to resist the cold during winter, 
and heat of summer, without thatching, a very important end 
would be gained. To attain this object, wooden-hives have been 
made of deal plank very thick, even as thick as two inches ; still, 
should the winter be very hard^ thatching must be resorted to, — 
one of the evils connected with the old straw-hive. By the appli- 
cation of a good non-conductor of heat, secured from the action 
of the weather, this evil may be completely cured. Let us suppose 
a hive made of wood, of whatever shape, is IS inches diameter; 
then, let another hive of the same material be made S or S| inches 
larger ; place the one within the other, and fill up the space left 
by the difference of size with powdered charcoal, hard rammed 
down ; nail a fillet of wood at the bottom, to connect the two hives 
and to prevent any of the charcoal falling out, or damp ascending 
through the coating, which would destroy in some measure its 
non-conducting power. The bee-door edges must be secured in 
the same manner. By this plan, you have (out of sight) a 
non-conductor more powerful than straw, at all times posses- 
sing its non-conducting property, which the straw only has when 
dry ; and no harbour made for vermin of any kind. It is 
proper here to state, that great care must be taken to have the 
charcoal put into its place in as dry a state as possible. Should 
charcoal not be to be had, any other non-conductor of heat may 
be used, as dry saw-dust, chopped straw, feathers, &c., but the 
charcoal is to be preferred, not only as better suited from its 
most powerfully resisting the transmission of heat, but as less 
liable to absorb moisture, and so destroying that power. 
As the coating prevents the transmission of the internal heat 
of the insects in summer, this will tend to raise the temperature 
too high for the health of the bees. This inconvenience may 
be obviated by a small perforation made through the entire hive 
at one of the corners, immediately under the projecting part of 
the roof To prevent any of the charcoal being moved, a tuh*^ 
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