J HE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



More aboat Drawn Combs for Sections. 



M. M. BALDBIDOE. 



T FIND the fol- 

 i lowing in the 

 Dec. Review and a 

 request for me to 

 reply. "This much 

 is uow given. That 

 f o u u d a t i o u is 

 drawn out in full 

 sheets and is then 

 cut up and fitted in- 

 to the sections. " 

 But what follows 

 is omited and to 

 which replies are desired. 



1st. At what time of the year should the 

 drawing out be done ? 



2nd. Are the combs drawn out by feeding 

 or during a honey-How ' 



3rd. In what part of the hive is the founda- 

 tion drawn out 'i 



•ith. How is the brood and pollen kept out 

 of the drawn combs ? 



1 and 2. The beekeeper who probably 

 deserves the credit for making the first 

 practial use of drawn combs for section 

 honey made it a practice to have enough 

 full-size sheets drawn out in the fall of the 

 year to till one set of sections for each col- 

 ony the ensuing year. This could be done 

 to better advantage then than in the spring, 

 as the bees were younger and more numer- 

 ous. Besides, it could be done while feed- 

 ing the bees with sugar syrup for winter 

 use. The management was such that near- 

 ly every drop of honey gathered by the bees 

 during the houey-flow was stored in the sec- 

 tions and then sent to market. This of course 

 made it absolutely necessary to give the 

 bees a substitute for winter use; and the 

 best substitute the", as now, was sugar 

 syrup. When the proper time came for 

 giving the bees a set of sections filled with 

 drawn combs, more full-size sheets were 

 drawn out from day to d;iy, so as to have on 

 hand a proper supply when needed. So it 

 will be seen that the drawn combs were se- 

 cured both by feeding and during a honey 

 How, not alone in the fall but also in the 

 spring aud summer. 



Sand 4. .About the time the drawi comb 

 idea was discovered the bee-keeper referred 

 to concluded to change the style of hive he 

 was using, from the standard Langstroth to 

 another of about the same capacity but 



with shorter frames. In other words, the 

 frames ran the short way instead of the long 

 way of the hive aud with the bee-entrance 

 at the side. This change secured the drawn 

 combs at one end or at both ends of the hive 

 as desired, and beyond the reach of the queen 

 and the bees tliat were bringing in pollen. At 

 that date — about 1871)— the perforated zinc 

 excluder was, I think, unknown. All or 

 nearly all the foundation for comb honey 

 at that time was drawn out in the brood- 

 chamber. 



I have perhaps now said enough to give 

 all the bee folks something to think about 

 and to cause them to go on and develop the 

 practical part of the drawn comb idea. But 

 I will add this, that we do not have the 

 sheets of foundation drawn out in the brood- 

 frames for use in sections, but this may be 

 done. The bees can then add to the width 

 and length of the sheet, if they so desire. 

 We want the drawn combs large enough in 

 width and length to cut up to advantage 

 so as to have enough to fill, say 4 or 

 8 sections from each sheet. Sometimes 

 we piece a section of drawn comb. 

 We prefer light brood to thin foun- 

 dation for drawn combs. Such will be 

 found in better condition for surplus honey 

 use than when drawn out in small 

 sections, and, especially, between sep- 

 arators — wood on metal. This point we 

 deem very important. Nor do we find it a 

 good plan to have the foundation drawn out 

 to exceed 3^ or 3^ inch. It drawn out too 

 much the bees do not attacii the sides so 

 nicely to the sections, nor do ilie combs 

 near the wood, have so neat an appearance 

 when ready for market. The foundation 

 must therefore be closely watched while be- 

 ing drawn out so the combs will not be too 

 thick. A colony in best condition to draw 

 out foundation properly should develop it to 

 proper thickness is about 36 hours — or say 

 two nights and one day. The best time to 

 start the bees on foundation i* near sun-set 

 — and for several reasons. We use strong 

 colonies for drawing out foundation, and 

 with a preponderance of young bees, hy- 

 brids or It;iliau^, we find better than the 

 blacks for thi^ work. A few colonies in the 

 right condition, and with the proper manip- 

 ulation, will supply a lartje apiary with all 

 the drawn combs for surplus honey that the 

 bees can fill and seal properly. We prefer 

 the freshly drawn combs to those drawn 

 out in the Autumn. 1 have surely said 



