THE APIARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3514, 19 July 1921, Page 7

THE APIARY.

r?y

J. A.

MAKING CP lIIVES. “Can you give any hints as to making up hives/” We do not- know that we can do much in the way of short-cuts in putting the hives together. If our questioner exp.cts that we can help in that direction we are afraid that he will be disappointed. To deal with the cover first, the one we prefer most is a flat cover, made large enough to go down over the hive body, covering it on both sides and ends by about 2in, and covered with malthoid roofing. A blowlamp is used to bend the malthoid over the sides and ends and to fold in the corners. In this way a perfectly waterproof cover is made. This cover, being flat and fitting down close on the hive body, leaves only a bee space between the top of the frames and the cos or, and for the last two seasons we have been able to do without a mat. Whether we can always do so we are nor sure, but intend to try for it. We get these roofs ready made, and prefer them to any other. If a hip roof is used a mat on top of the frames is essential, and whatever one is used it must be waterproof. As to the bottom board, we have no use for what is known as the reversible. \\ e want something very plain and strong, made with flooring boards Gin x lin, and cramped firm on hardwood sleepers—say tolara- or jamah, or any other timber that will last well through damp. Bricks form the base on which these floor boards rest. A strip of gin stuff is run round the .sides and back to give the proper Gee space. Like the covers, these bottoms are bought ready made, so that again we have no nailing up to do. The hive bodies are made of Oregon timber, the sides being cut to |in thickness while the ends are lin. This makes a very light super, ajxl nice to handle. We do not, however, consider them as good as the dovetailed super turned out by the Alliance Box Company. Still, we are satisfied with them. In dovetailed hives the nailing is done from both sides and ends, every corner being double nailed. This is a- decided advantage, and makes a super that will stand a lot of handling. Our Oregon supers are nailed only on the one side of each corner, and require an abundance of cement-coated nails. While we use no paint on either roofs or floors, we give the bodies two coats of good thick paint. It will not do to let them twist with sun or weather. As to the frames, we use the Hofman, mainly because it is self-spacing. In nailing these together cemented nails of the right length are used, each joint having its nail. The top bar is made of fin depth. The Jin top bar is a blunder, and it seems strange to use that it should be so commonly used without complaint. As the Americans use the En top bar, it is wider, and gives a correct bee space, and thus largely prevents bur combs. As we use it in the Dominion, it is narrow, and gives a wide bo-c space and increases lire bur combs. Wo object to .it- for it wo reasons—that it increases the bur combs and at the some time lessons the comb -space. In wiring the frames we have in the past used both the three and four horizontal wire plan Neither has been just quite satisfactory; though if drawn out in the super they can be get perfect. The hear of a swarm will cause them to sag, and the stretched cells will sometimes be used as drone comb. It- would probably be a great advantage to use a plan advoetued by a writer m Gleanings last year—to support the horizontal wires by putting in a centre perpendicular wire to support the horizontal wires. if this were attached to the too bar and well imbedded it would, we think, do much to get over the difficulty of sagging. The i imbedding is done with a -spur imbedder, which docs its work quite .satisfactorily.