42 
tipping a hive, care must be taken to have the sides of 
the hives plumb, else the bees, building their comb al- 
ways plumb, would have the lower part of the comb out 
of the frame. The hive must be tipped as soon as the 
bees are hived ; if delayed until combs are started, tip- 
ping would not induce them to discontinue their work 
and begin differently elsewhere. When frames with 
narrow tops are used, the lower corners of the top bars 
should be rounded off; the spaces between them enable 
the bees to cluster between and above the top bars, and 
they frequently fail to start the comb within the frames, 
as the corners of the top bar being higher than the 
comb-guides would induce the bees to commence their 
comb on them, and the bees clustered between and 
above would furnish ample chances for additional hoUl 
to the comb-building cluster of bees. 
In the improved movable-comb frame, the top bars 
fit closely to each other, leaving no projecting corners 
or space for bees to cluster in ; the corner of each comb- 
guide being the only projections presented to them. 
The openings for honey box communication being in 
the middle of each frame, and directly above the comb- 
guides, if occupied by the bees, can only aid in obtain- 
ing the comb true within the frame. Since their inven- 
tion, the tipping of hives is superflous, having the stand 
level and the sides of the hive exactly perpendicular, is 
the only care necessary. 
