Apparatus 
27 
The plain box rests on a bottom board, so made that 
there is an entrance space (Fig. 20), and over the hive is a 
cover which can be entirely removed to permit the removal 
of frames. There are various types of bottoms and covers, 
with no marked advantages in one over the others. The 
telescope cover over a thin inner cover is a good type (Fig. 20). 
The size of frame standard in America is that of the Lang- 
strotli (or L) hive, high by 17jj- inches long. Frames of 
other sizes, but having the same method of hanging, have 
been devised and a larger size has much to commend it, but 
the desirability of uniformity outweighs the advantages of 
the odd sizes. 
The number of frames in the hive is 
determined by the character of the local¬ 
ity and the kind of honey produced. 
Many comb-honey producers in the white 
clover region prefer the eight-frame hive 
while the majority of extracted-honey 
producers use the ten-frame size. Some 
prefer a twelve-frame hive. The sales of 
supply dealers indicate a growing prefer¬ 
ence for the ten-frame size among all classes of beekeep¬ 
ers. In deciding which size of hive is preferable, the 
usual method is to determine the amount of brood that 
can be reared by a strong colony and to calculate the requi¬ 
site number of combs from their area. This is not an 
entirely reliable criterion for the following reasons: (1) the 
outside combs are frequently unavailable for brood-rearing, 
because of inaccurate spacing, (2) the top rows of cells in 
combs built on comb-foundation usually sag, reducing the 
area available for brood by a depth of one to two inches, 
(3) there is frequently considerable drone comb or irregular 
comb. The comb area needed for brood depends on the 
character and time of the honey-flow and on the system 
followed. For example, if the main honey-flow comes 
early in the season (e.g. white clover in the North), it is 
desirable to build up the colony with great rapidity. This 
Fig. 21. — Diagram 
showing spacing 
of frame and rab¬ 
bet in Langstroth 
hive. 
