e-frames" are made of half inch mahogany, being twelve
inches high, nine inches long, and not more than half of an inch broad,
so that these frames will fit into the box, sliding into fifteen grooves
formed on the bottom, and kept securely in their places by the upper
grooves in the mahogany bar.

When the fifteen, or whatever number of the bee-frames intended to be
used, have been run into the grooves, sheets of perforated zinc are
placed on the tops of them; the 1-1/8 of an inch openings at the backs
of the frames being closed with slips of tin.

One of the bee-frames is made solid, with sheets of zinc being fixed
in it; this frame can then be used as a divider between any number of
the bee-frames, and thus form the box into two compartments, either to
augment or diminish the space in the box according to the size of the
swarm, or the increasing wants of the bees for more room.

The bees are then introduced into the hive (having first closed the
backs of the bee-frames with the slips of tin, and fastened the side
lid of the box against them, and also removed one of the sheets of
perforated zinc from the tops of the bee-frames) by dislodging the bees
from the straw-hive in which they had been previously collected, or
shaken from the boughs of the tree, where they may have settled, so as
to fall upon the tops of the frames within the box; when the bees have
all congregated within the bee-frames by crawling through the open
spaces at the top, the perforated sheet of zinc is placed over them; the
bees can then only escape through the long slip or entrance which was
made for them in the front of the box.

The top lid can be closed and locked, when the bees will be secure from
the gaze of the inquisitive, or the bad intentions of thieves.

Before I proceed to give any directions for the construction of the
"bar-and-frame-hive" I am _anxious_ to _warn_ all amateur carpenters,
and those who delight to superintend the labours of a "cheap working
country carpenter," against the fatal error of using unseasoned wood;
for, unless the "bottom board" and the "bee-frames" are made of
mahogany, or some well-seasoned, hard, or close-grained wood, the
advantages of the bar and frame-hive will be quite destroyed, as the
great object is to have the bee-frames to slide in and out of the
grooves with the _greatest facility_. Throughout the whole of the making
of the hive or box, no glue should be used, unless further secured with
small