COMB HONEY. 



119 



COMB HONEY. 



ber of small compartments as is the case in 

 the old-style supers with solid separators 

 Supers provided with /"ence separators, 

 because they allow of a much freer commu- 

 nication, are more acceptable to the bees, 

 for they dislike being shut off from one 

 another by any obstruction, although some 

 doubt this. This raises the question, 

 "Why not dispense with separators alto- 

 gether?" We can. But before we do so we 

 must dispense with the present wide section 

 altogether, for it has been demonstrated 

 over and over again that it is impracticable 

 to produce thick comb sections without sep 

 arators if we desire to sell the 

 honey away from home. 



It may be asked why bee keep- 

 ers have not adopted these nar- 

 row-width sections. The reasons 

 are hard to give; but in a general 

 way it is probably due to the 

 fashion. 



WHAT SIZE OF SECTION TO USE. 



To answer this question intelli- 

 gently for oneself, it will be well 

 to consult the honey-market re- 

 ports. As a general rule, sections 

 holding an even pound of honey 

 are preferred by consumers, and, 

 of course, they bring a higher 

 price . Notwi th stand in g thi s , f e w 

 bee-keepers think that more honey can be 

 secured in two-pound sections than in the 

 smaller sizes. Most producers, however, 

 are not so sure that it makes any dif- 

 ference to the bees ; and while the fact re- 

 mains that, in most markets, they sell for 

 from one to two cents less per pound than 

 the one-pound, it behooves every bee-keeper 

 to think carefully before he decides on adopt- 

 ing two-pound sections. The size of sec- 

 tion which seems to have the general pref- 

 erence is 4i inches square and 1^ inches 

 wide for the beeway style, and 4ix4ixli and 

 4x5x11 for the plain section 



NARROAVER SECTIONS. 



Some markets demand a smaller package. 

 Instead of going to the expense of making 

 smaller sections, supply-dealers have been 

 in the habit of making the regular 4i sec- 

 tions narrower— U, If, 7 to the foot, H, If. 

 The seven to the foot hold about three- 

 quarters of a pound, while the U and If hold 

 about half a pound. 



There is a very great advantage in dimin- 

 ishing the thicltmss of a section instead of 

 the size, for this reason : They will fit most 

 of the surplus arrangements in use, and can 



be shipped readily in ordinary shipping- 

 cases, with but little trouble. In Canada 

 tlie narrow sections have the preference, and 

 tlie tendency in this country is toward a 

 narrower section of late. 



FOUR-BEEWAY SECTIONS. 



A few years ago these were talked of con- 

 siderably ; and it was stated at the time that 

 the bees would enter them more readily ; 

 that they would be filled better, and have a 

 Ijetter api)earance for market. Very li'tle 

 attention was paid to them in this couiiti y. 

 although they have been usedcoutiniiously 



COMPARATIVE SIZE OF TALL AND SQUARE SECTIONS 

 OF THE SAME W^EIGHT. 



in Great Britain ever since; but since the 

 plain sections and the fence have demon- 

 strated the value of free communication 

 crosswise and lengthwise of the super, the 

 open-side sections are being talked of more 

 now than they have heretofore ; but, like 



plain sections, they require a special kind 

 of separator ; and tlie cases for holding them 

 would be just about as expensive. If one 

 expects to make a change it would be as 

 cheap, and better, for him to adopt the 

 plain section. 



TALL vs. SQUARE SECTIONS. 



The standard section for a good many years 

 is and has been 4i in. square ; but, notwith- 

 standing, during all this time, a good many 

 bee-keepers, principally in New York, have 

 been using a section taller than broad. Capt. 

 J. E. Hetherington, who had the reputation 

 of being the most extensive apiarist in the 

 world, used a section 3|xo. Other bee-keep- 

 ers in New Y''ork use them slightly larger 



