PRODUCTION OF COMB HONEY. 



435 



You can't raise squash under glass unless you carry pollen yourself from 

 flower to flower. 



Honey bees do not fertilize clover as their tongues are not long enough. 



PKODUCTION OP COMB HONEY. 



BY MR. GEO. E. HILTON", OF FREMONT. 



[Read at the joint meeting of the Farmers' Institute and Fremont Progressive Bee-keepers' 



Association, February 4th, 1887.] 



As I have made the production of comb honey a success for the past eight 

 years, a review of what I consider the best methods even at this time of year, 

 may be of value the coming season. Should it give you any new ideas whereby 

 you can increase your profits in this our chosen pursuit, then my object in 

 writing this paper will be accomplished. 



The first and great important factor is a hive full of bees at the commence- 

 ment of the honey flow. And here a paper of interest could be written on 

 spring management. The question is often asked by the amateur, " When is 

 the proper time to put on the surplus cases?" The majority of the bee books 

 say as soon as you see little bits of new comb being built along the top bar of 

 the brood chamber. My answer is, as soon as the surplus season opens ; in 

 this latitude it is at the opening of the blackberry and raspberry blossoms, 

 followed closely by the white clover, which is our main source. Previous to 

 this your crates should all be prepared with sections filled with full sheets of 

 thin foundations, (I prefer that made on the Given press.) You should also 

 be provided with a zinc queen excluding honey-board. I like these the size 

 of my surplus crate. This avoids all propolising and snapping and cracking 

 of crates in taking off, and all brace combs from being built from the under 

 side of sections to the top of brood frames. With me there is no time looked 

 forward to with more interest than the putting on of the surplus crates; 

 neither is there a time when the apiarist should exercise better judgment. 

 Approaching a hive we examine it closely, and 

 if up to the standard, namely: well filled with 

 brood and working bees, we remove all bits of 

 comb from the top bars, lay on our zinc queen 

 excluding honey-board, and put on one crate 

 containing twenty-eight, 4^ by 4^ by If in. 

 sections. All things considered, I think this 

 size the best. Perhaps the next hive we ap- 

 proach we have not been able to build up to 

 the standard. This we will leave until we find 

 another not up to the standard. We will re- 

 move best combs of brood and young bees, 

 (being careful not to take the queen,) remove 

 the four combs containing the least brood from 

 No. 1 and change places with them, using 

 judgment in making up the brood nest, keep- 



Hive Closed. 



