Why are frame smaller at the bottom?

[Apislacris]

Just 1 month before I get my bees!!! :D

Still having difficulties with some concepts like:" Why are frames (Dadant type) smaller at the bottom by 1/4 inch?" There must be a good reason for this added difficulty when you build frames. You would think that deopperculation for extraction should be easier if the frame is flat and you just have to slide the hot blade accross.

Still a month to go and i'm going crazy already.

Patrice

[Jerrymac]

You are talking about the end bars where they are wide at the top, this keeps the spacing where it should be when bumped together, and narrow at the bottom.... or about two thirds of it..... this is for bees to move around the frame to the other side. Also if they didn't have the space there the bees would propolize it all together and would be difficult to seperate.

[Michael Bush]

Yes, they are glued together less with only part of the end bar in contact.  When uncapping you are pretty much up against the wood top and bottom and yes, that doesn make a taper.  It also makes it easier to uncap because of the low spots.