CHAPTER VIII
THE HIVE, AND HOW TO HANDLE IT
THE BROOD-CHAMBER
The essential parts of a hive are the following: A bottom-board, the first story, or brood-chamber, containing frames for the support of the combs, and a cover. When extracted honey is to be produced, a second story like the first may be placed between it and the cover; when it is desired to have the surplus honey stored in section-boxes, one or more shallow stories containing the section-boxes are placed above the brood-chamber; these shallow stories are known as the supers.
Formerly the brood-chamber was a mere cubiform box with two horizontal cross-pieces passing through the centre at right angles to each other for the support of the combs. Sometimes the bee-keeper furnished the bees with a hive made from a section of a hollow log, with a board nailed over one end for a cover, or the hollow log was placed in a horizontal position. Such a hive was known as a "bee-gum," probably because it was often made from the trunk of a gum tree; but the bee-gums with which we were familiar in our childhood were made from hollow basswood logs.
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