March, 1919.  THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST AND BEEKEEPER
More About the Double-Walled Hive
J. F. Dunn, Ridgeway

SINCE writing my article on the
double-walled insulated hive in the
November number of the BEE-
KEEPER, I have been kept pretty busy
since November replying to numerous
enquiries, and they are still coming.
It occurred to me that a mechanical
drawing would assist interested bee-
keeping friends, and be helpful to any
contemplating the construction of a
hive. Fig. 1 illustrates an unpacked re-
moveable bottom board, and while it is
just possible that a packed bottom may
result in the warm air generated by the
cluster being held in suspension a little
lower down in the hive, I am not at all
certain that there is relatively much
difference between a packed and an un-
packed bottom, in practical results. I
am, however, just a little inclined to
favor one inch of cork packing below the
floor of the hive.
CONSTRUCTION OF A PACKED BOTTOM
I consider it of great importance that a
piece of heavy waterproof paper be
placed between the packing and the
boards enclosing it.  This keeps any
moisture from the insulating material.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE WATERTABLE
The watertable can be mitred at the
corners, like a picture frame, but we
prefer to tenon and mortise it, placing
the tenon enough off the centre to miss
the outer edge of slant of watertable.
After the four sections are driven to-
gether, the saw table is set on a bevel and
the slant cut ; also the drip rebate on
the under and outer edge. A strip of
waterproof paper should also be placed
under the watertable and over the
insulation before the watertable is nailed
down.
CEMENT COATED NAILS.
It is better to use thin gauge cement
coated nails when putting hives together.
If you cannot obtain them from your
hardware dealer, coat them yourself.
Throw a few pounds of nails into an old
dish, then add a teaspoonful of shellac,
shake them up well and when coated
take them out. If any shellac is left,
add more nails until all the shellac is
used. You will find that nails so treated
will cling to the wood and "stay put."
I got this hint from Mr. W. A. Chrysler,
and it is passed on for the general
benefit.
LOOSE BOTTOM-BOARDS.
There are some advantages in a re-
moveable bottom   board.  We    have
quite a number of them, but are making
all our new hives with the bottom built
in, the outer shell reaching far enough
below the inner shell to admit of one
inch bottom packing. The front of the

hive body is made one inch shallower
than the back and sides, giving you an
entrance one inch high clear across the
hive. In other words the entrance is
the full width of the brood chamber.
The same rule holds good if you prefer
the removeable bottom board. We very
seldom remove the bottom board from
those hives so constructed, for if it is
I-X-
Fig. 2
desired to remove all bees from an
empty hive, a bang on the ground with
the hive inclined toward the front will
scoot them all out in either case.
Fig. 2 shows, the construction of the
inner and outer shell. This is so simple
that no explanation is necessary.  Al-
though made of quarter inch lumber, it
is very strong.
Some of the veterans at the Toronto
Convention thought this hive would not
stand up under weight, because of its
light construction. We have used them

7 /7,
~?          ~
.'
'~
~
"-'-I-,-'
~fbl
~pov~

SP- - OR

over twenty years, and they are still
going strong. In 1916 our out apiary
averaged 265 lbs. to the colony, and as
we use "sky scraper" methods, tiering
up and not turning a wheel until fall, I
hardly dare tell you how much honey
some of our best colonies piled on those
hives. The writer stands 5'82", and
he had to stand on two hive bodies to
reach the top super, even after taking
some off (bees and all) to even things
up. ,
This apiary is on stony land and we
could not get holes deep enough for
posts for an eight-foot fence. We built
an eight-foot slatted fence and braced
it up at an angle of 45 degrees to take
the thrust of our southwest gales. Last
winter the snow flew to the top of this
fence and dropped a ten-foot bank on
top of the hives, and it stayed there all
winter.
I would like to ask some of those good
fellows up north, what sort of crops they
get, that would lead them to say this
hive will not stand weight. If you will
tell us all about it we will promise not to
move up there. We wouldn't like to
have to build a hive too heavy to hold
out with one hand at arm's length, and
we might have to if we ever found a
locality giving a crop that would
crumple up our hives.
Laying all joking aside, we welcome
criticism ; "A reasonable number of
fleas are good for a dog ; keeps him
from broodin' over being a dog."
The remark we hear most often is
"We have been through all that, we
have tried double walled hives and
don't like them." Oh, yes, we know all
about those hives, too ; we have been
'd, &1174W 71# l< 1V4

'7/7/
~//7~

Fig. 1

~1,         7P3A*     AWAA~t~

25.b e.AA? Be

L -

"O  It

I