Wood Boxes
Categories:
HIVES.
Bee Keeping:
Mysteries Of Bee-keeping Explained
For home consumption, the wood-box will answer equally well for all
purposes of obtaining the honey, but will give no chance to watch the
progress of the bees, unless a glass is inserted for the purpose, and
then it will need a door to keep it dark, or a cover over the whole
like the one for glass boxes, may be put on. Wood boxes are generally
made with open bottom, and set on the top of the hive. A passage for
the bee
out of the box to the open air is unnecessary, and worse than
useless. They like to store their honey as far from the entrance as
possible. Unless crowded for room, they will not store much there when
such entrances are made.
Whether we intend to consume our surplus honey or not, it is as well to
have the hives and covers made in a manner that we can use glass, when
we are likely to have some to spare. I am not sure, but it would pay to
make hives in this way, even if glass boxes were never used; the
rabbeting prevents light as well as water from passing under the cover;
imagine a box set on a plain board nailed on for a top, without the
rabbeting; the warping or bending admits the light and water,
especially when hives are out in the weather, (and I shall not
recommend any other way of keeping them.)