COMB HONEY. oo 
the sections (p. 46). It is also probable that fewer colonies will 
“‘swarm out”’ or desert their hives if hived in a brood chamber con- 
taining one or more empty combs than if foundation only is used. 
A disadvantage of this plan is that the cells near the top bar of the 
comb may be so elongated as to interfere with the complete drawing 
out of the foundation in the adjacent frame. Empty combs can 
not well be used in connection with narrow strips of foundation, since 
their use favors the construction of drone comb. 
(4) Empty combs are sometimes used with the idea of saving the 
bees the work of constructing a new set of combs. Under same con- 
ditions this is false economy and gives poorer results than starters 
or foundation. With very strong colonies, or with the brood 
chamber contracted to five or six frames, empty combs in the 
brood chamber may give good results. Medium colonies on a full 
set of empty combs are inclined to store the honey in the brood 
chamber and neglect the supers. 
(5) Combs of honey are sometimes used on which to hive swarms. 
In some instances the beekeeper uses frames of foundation or empty 
combs above the brood chamber previous to and during the first few 
days of the honey flow for the purpose of discouraging swarming and 
afterwards uses these partly filled combs on which to hive swarms. 
In order to make room for the queen, this honey is rapidly carried 
above, and stored in the sections. 
(6) Combs of sealed brood in which no eggs have been laid during 
the previous 10 days or 2 weeks may be used. Such combs are 
usually available toward the close of the swarming season from 
colonies that have swarmed 10 days or 2 weeks before. This 
plan is especially desirable when the beekeeper runs short of hives 
during the swarming season. In_ some localities, however, the 
character of the flow is such that the colonies may later again pre- 
pare to swarm when hived on either empty combs or combs of sealed 
brood. 
EXTREME CONTRACTION OF THE BROOD CHAMBER WHEN HIVING SWARMS. 
Some beekeepers contract the brood chamber, when hiving swarms, 
to five or six frames, the remaining space being filled by means of 
division boards or ‘‘dummies.”” This reduction in the capacity of 
the brood chamber results in practically all the honey being stored 
in the supers and also restricts brood rearing at a time when the 
resulting bees develop too late to become gatherers. This is espe- 
cially adaptable to locations furnishing an early flow of white honey 
followed by a later flow of darker honey. The white or more market- 
able honey is stored in the supers and later the brood chamber is 
expanded and provisioned for winter with the less desirable honey. 
503 
