COMB HONEY. 



Ill 



COMB HONEY. 



supers of half-depth extracting-frames full of comb 

 from the home apiary, and put them on 30 hives iu the 

 out-aDiary at the same time that I put sections on the 

 other 30 hives. In four or five days the extractiug- 

 rombs were full of new honey, and the bees excited 

 aud busy at their work, while most of those having 

 sections were loafing, and some had swarmed. 



I raised the combs by putting a super of sections 

 between them and the brood-nest. At the end of two 

 weeks from putting on the combs those sections under 

 the combs were better filled than those on the hives 

 that had no combs. As soon as the combs were sealed 

 I put them away to extract, having that amount of 

 honey extra, and the bees started nicely in their work. 

 I had only about a third as many swarms from those 

 hives as from the ones with sections and no combs 



I liked the plan so well that la.st year I had enovigh 

 of those little combs built to furnish a super of them 

 to every colony that was to be run for section honey. 



I tried the plan again this year, and from 75 colonies 

 at the out-apiary I had 8000 fine white maiketable 

 sections, about 500 lbs of unfinished and imperfect 

 sections, 1-500 lbs. of extracted honey, and 60 lbs. of 

 beeswax, and two barrels of vinegar. We got sh jrt of 

 fixtures, and I had to cut out some of my little combs 

 aud have the bees build them again to keep them at 

 work. I forgot to mention that we sell a lot of those 

 combs to families for home use, as we can sell them 

 cheaper than sections. When we cut them out we 

 do so after extracting, and then the washings make 

 good vinegar, and the wax g )es into the .solar extract- 

 or, and is of the best quality. We leave half an inch 

 of comb at the top of the frame, to save putting in 

 foundation. 1 do not believe we shall 

 ever be able to overcome swarming 

 entirely, but 1 believe my plan stops 

 the loafing betier than any thing else I 

 know of. We had 57 swarms this year, 

 but no loafing in the out-apiary. We 

 have lio'ight an extractor for that api- 

 ary, and will continue to run on that 

 plan to start them to work. After the 

 first super of section s is well started 

 there is no more trouble about loafing 

 My neighbor's bees U afed and swarmed 

 through all the best of the season, while 

 mine were hard at work. 



Mrs. a. J. Barber. 



Mancos, Col., Nov. 17, 1898. 



Otlier coiiesiKindcnts to Olcaw 

 iuys ill Bee Cult lo-i' have reported 

 good results from following the 

 same methods. It is particularly 

 applicable where both comb and 

 extracted are called for. 



Mr. E. D. Townsend, Remus, 

 Michigan, the other correspond- 

 ent, goes one step further than 

 the Barber i)lan by producing comb and 

 extracted honey in the same super. Instead 

 of imtting on a case of extracting-combs, 

 and afterward substituting therefor one 

 containing sections, he has a special super 

 which contains both extracting-combs and 

 sections. 



The illustration shows an ordinary comb- 

 honey super containing 4x5 sections. This 



is equipped precisely the same as any 

 other sup»r for sections except that it hits 

 extracting-combs with closed-end frames on 

 each outside. Where a super of this kind 

 is placed on a hive the bees immediately 

 occupy the drawn comb at the sides of the 

 super and begin their storing. The comb 

 being nlready drawn out, it is a very invit- 

 ing place in which tlie bees can begin stor- 

 ing. Having made a nice start in the two 

 side extracting-combs they work toward the 

 center— that is to say, tliey begin to draw 

 out the full sheets of foundation in 4x5 sec- 

 tions next to the combs, and store in them. 

 When work is once in full progress in the 

 side sections of the super, the center ones 

 will take care of themselves, with the result 

 that every section is finished about the same 

 time, and of about equal fullness. When 

 the super is completed, the two extracting- 

 combs will be filled and capped as w^ell as 

 the section honey-boxes. The former can 

 be extracted and used over again. 



It will be seen that the extracting combs 

 serve the inirpose of excellent baits ; and 

 Mr. Townsend draws attention to the fact 

 that, wlien such baits are idaced at the sidr.s 



E. D. TOWNSEND'S super FOR PRODUCIKG BOTH COM15 



AND EXTRACTED HONEY; ONE EXTRACTING- 



FRAME ON EACH SIDE. 



instead of in the center, they cause an even 

 filling of the entire super; whereas by the 

 old plan of putting bait combs in the middle 

 of the super the storing begins around the 

 baits, gradually working from the center to 

 the outside. This naturally brings about a 

 better filling of the center sections, leaving 

 those toward the sides at a much later stage 

 of comb-building and filling. The result of 



