. The honey bee; its natural history, physiology, and management. hing for their new one. BEE-BOXES. 83 CHAPTER VII. BEE-BOXES. There has been some difference of opinion as tothe most suitable dimensions of bee-boxes. I pre-fer those of Keys, which are twelve inches squareand nine inches deep, in the clear. The best woodfor them is red cedar, the fragrance of which isregarded by some as agreeable to the bees ; butthe chief grounds of preference are its effect inkeeping moths out of the boxes, and its being abad conductor of heat, from its lightness andsponginess. Whatever kind of wood be madeu
. The honey bee; its natural history, physiology, and management. hing for their new one. BEE-BOXES. 83 CHAPTER VII. BEE-BOXES. There has been some difference of opinion as tothe most suitable dimensions of bee-boxes. I pre-fer those of Keys, which are twelve inches squareand nine inches deep, in the clear. The best woodfor them is red cedar, the fragrance of which isregarded by some as agreeable to the bees ; butthe chief grounds of preference are its effect inkeeping moths out of the boxes, and its being abad conductor of heat, from its lightness andsponginess. Whatever kind of wood be madeuse of, it should be well seasoned ; yellow dealanswers the purpose very well. The sides of theboxes should be an inch thick, and the bars onthe top three quarters of an inch, about an inchand half wide, and six in number, which will leavean interspace between each of about half an the back of each box, a pane of glass shouldbe fixed in a small rabbet, which may be coveredwith a half inch door, himg with wire hinges andfastened by a button. 84 The size of the door may be suited to tlie wishesof the apiarian : as this door will only give a viewof the centre combs, in case of their being con-structed in a line with the bars, or of one or moreof the external combs, in case of their being at-tached at right angles with the bars or diagonally,it will be desirable to have a pane of glass in eachside also, that the proprietor may be enabled tojudge at any time of the stock of honey containedin the box. These small glass windows will sel-dom do more than afford the proprietor an oppor-tunity of ascertaining the strength of his stock ofbees, and the quantity of honey they have in store ;if he wish to see more particularly the operationsof the labourers, or to witness the survey whichthe queen now and then takes of them, he mayhave a large bell-glass, surmounted by a straw-hive, which latter may be occasionally raised, forthe purpose of inspection. By this blest art ou
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