November 23, 1882.] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 487 
E, E (figs. G7 and 68, page 414), when putting them together so as 
to nail them true. It will be seen that a quarter of an inch play 
is given to the roof—that is, one-eighth on each of the four sides, 
so that it shall not be likely to stick tight at any time. By 
reference to fig. 81 it will be seen that notches n , n, are cut in the 
front and back of the roof; these should fit over strong screws 
screwed into the hive proper just over the roof rests (b, e, figs. 
67 and 68) so as to correspond with the notches in the roof. 
These screws will keep the roof in proper position. It is also 
advisable to secure the roof to the hive proper by putting hooks 
and small staples to the sides (h, fig. 80). Those possessing tools, 
or who can obtain the use of a plough plane or even gouge chisel, 
should also run a groove along the bottom edges of the roof. 
This will in a great measure prevent rain being forced between 
the roof and the hive during high winds. The half-inch overlap 
will generally prevent this occurring, but it is as well to be doubly 
secure. It will be seen that the inner top edge of the front and 
the outer top edge of the back of the roof frame will have to be 
bevelled off (d, d, figs. 81 and 82), then cut out the wood for the 
cover. Two pieces of 11-inch board 30 inches long answer for the 
roof cover, although there is hardly sufficient overlap for the sides ; 
but we make this do in order to avoid having two seams in the 
cover. If 11-inch pine is not obtainable and other wood to band, 
then we would have two pieces 8 inches wide and one piece 
between them 9 inches in width. These should be nailed on to 
the roof frame so as to overlap equally front and back and both 
sides, taking care to use well-seasoned wood, and to keep it as 
close as possible together where the boards join. Strips of quarter- 
inch wood 2 inches wide should be well bradded to the roof over 
the joins, driving in the brads at various angles in order to get 
better hold. If carefully done when well painted there will be 
not a chance of a leak. The whole of the outside of the hive and 
roof should receive at least two coats of good oil paint. A stone 
colour is as nice as any. We like a rather dark stone colour 
which does not show dust and stains readily. 
The quilt is now the only thing we have left to mention in regal'd 
to the hive itself. A piece of ticking next over the frames is one 
of the best materials to employ. Hair cloth is perhaps better, but 
dearer. We have over several hives used a coarse kind of screen 
canvas, and this answers the purpose very well and is cheap. We 
do not put a rough material such as carpet or flannel next the bees, 
as they seem to object to anything of a woolly nature, and bite it 
to pieces, trying to make it smooth. A piece should be cut partly 
out of the middle of the various coverings, three sides of a square 
being cut through with scissors, leaving it so that it can be folded 
back like a trap door. Over this first cover of ticking, hair cloth, 
or canvas should be placed two or three layers of flannel, or a 
couple of pieces of clean old drugget or carpet, having pieces partly 
cut out to correspond with the hole in the first layer. This arrange¬ 
ment is for feeding when it is thought best to feed from the top. 
Instead of this arrangement a good serviceable quilt can be made 
D 
Fig. 81.—A, Front. D, Section of front. 
in various ways by stuffing a case made just the size of the space 
over the top bars with any suitable material, such as chaff, wool, 
cork chips, &c. Care should be taken in this case not to use an 
impervious fabric, or we shall defeat our own aim to make the bees 
snug and warm by keeping them damp and thus causing cold and 
disease. In making the quilt, whether a stuffed cushion or layers 
of warm stuff, it must be cut accurately to fit above the frames. 
It will be seen by reference to figs. 67 and 68 that we prefer to 
leave a quarter of an inch drop all round from the level of the hive 
sides to the top of the frame bars. Into this receptacle the quilt 
should fit closely, so as to prevent escape of air suddenly, and thus 
to secure an equable temperature. Some hives are made so that 
the quilt simply rests on the frame bars and sides of hive. It is 
liable to get puckered up at places, and to allow too readily the 
escape of heat. By being made the least bit too large it can by 
our method be fitted to a nicety all round the sides of the top of 
the hive. 
We will now say a few words concerning the management of 
the hive. Fig. 68 shows the hive arrangement for winter. Of 
course the feeder (J) is not always in its place. So much import¬ 
ance must be attached to the proper use of food given artificially 
to bees that the whole subject shall be fully entered upon on 
a future occasion. It is only necessary now to point out the plan 
of feeding pourtrayed in fig. 68. The dummy D has, as formerly 
explained, a slit cut out from the centre of its lower edge a 
quarter of an inch high. When the number of combs is lessened 
for the winter arrangement this dummy is placed in the position 
indicated. The bees could now run into the space S ; their move¬ 
ments are, however, curtailed by the tunnel t t. This is made by 
tacking a piece of zinc to two strips of wood, each the same length 
as the width of the space between the dummy and the back of 
o o o 
c 
1 
B 
§ 
D 
Q: 
1 
n 
n 
_n_ 
----n_ 
Fig. 82.—B, Back. D, Section of back. 
the hive; three or four holes are punctured in the centre of the 
zinc. During the winter the whole space may be filled up with 
clean dry chaff ; we use oat chaff, as being soft and light, and not 
liable to mat together. This chaff is easily removed when the 
space is required for feeding purposes in early spring. A similar 
arrangement is employed in the front space between the dummy 
and the front of the hive. Here a tunnel is made by which the 
bees enter from the outside ; a piece of perforated zinc is here 
used, which assists in ventilation. This front space is then 
packed with chaff. Mr. Cheshire advises the use of cork chips 
where they can be had ; we have not yet been able to obtain them, 
but find good chaff answers the purpose. We have this winter 
used a frame 2 inches deep, made of wood, with canvas bottom, 
made to fit accurately over the frame-bars. This filled with dry 
clean chaff takes the place of the quilt, and stands over the one 
layer of ticking or screen canvas. 
Before closing this description of our hives we would give an 
idea of the cost incurred in making each one. The estimation is 
for the very best well-seasoned yellow pine, free from knots and 
flaws, planed at a saw-mill both edges and one side. The bars 
and side pieces for the frames can be also obtained ready planed 
in similar manner in suitable lengths for cutting up as required 
without waste. For the top bars the strips should be seven-eighths 
of an inch broad when planed. The frames can be made for Id. 
each. We would here state that we employ nothing but French 
wire nails in putting together our hives and frames. They hold 
well when wetted at the time of using, and should, as far as 
possible, be driven in at various angles. When nailing together 
the frames the top bar should at one end be only nailed on on one 
side of the saw-scarf, piercing a hole ready for the second three- 
quarter-inch nail when the foundation sheet is put in just before 
use. The material required for one hive is as follows :— 
s. d. 
22 feet best yellow pine, J by 11, at 3 \<1 . 5 11J 
Floor-board extra. 0 9 
10 frames at Id. 0 10 
Nails and quilt. 0 6 
Paint. 0 6 
8 6J 
This cost can of course be greatly reduced by the employment of 
more common wood, which can be purchased at one-third less 
cost, but more likely to split when being put together. The cost 
can be reduced still more by the employment of the wood from 
boxes purchased from grocers or other firms. When comparing 
the cost of such a hive as we have endeavoured to describe with 
that of a skep ever so well made, it must be taken into considera¬ 
tion that the bar-and-frame hive, with an additional outlay for a 
coat of paint every year, would last a lifetime, whereas the straw 
hive would not last more than a few seasons. It would be there¬ 
fore much cheaper in the end for a cottager to invest in such a 
hive as we advocate than to be constantly buying skeps. To 
every intelligent cottage bee-keeper we would therefore say, 
Make such a hive and give it a fair trial side by side with the 
