GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



JaxX. 



step oil any part of a section box ; and to 

 protect the sections I would have them rest 

 on a thin strip of wood, the way our crates 

 are all made. Prof. Cook also said that the 

 bees should not be allowed access to the out- 

 side of the sections. The crate he is using, 

 liowever. does permit the bees to get to 

 them just the way I have described. Pres- 

 ident Hutchinson and others declare, howev- 

 er, that, with the honey-board, the bees did 

 not attach bits of wax or propolis to the 

 sections. While at tlie college apiary with 

 Prof. Cook and the other friends, I noticed 

 that his crates and honey-boards were cov- 

 ered with bits of comb, and the same sort of 

 varnish that our bees spread over every 

 thing here. It is quite likely that the dam- 

 age they do in some localities is trifling ; 

 but I should want, if possible, to avoid the 

 necessity of being ever obliged to scrape and 

 sandpaper sections filled with honey, in or- 

 der to have them look fit to take to market. 

 With the arrangement mentioned we can 

 have sections of different widths in tlie 

 same crate, if we choose, by dispensing with 

 separators. It is true, a separator could be 

 used for each section ; but the expense for 

 such an arrangement is so great I believe it 

 is mostly abandoned. 



KEMOVING SINGLE SECTIONS, AS SOON AS 

 SEALED OVEK. 



Another point comes in here, however, 

 which was discussed considerably. If we 

 dispense with separators, we can not look 

 over our hives, and pick out the central sec- 

 tions, or a section liere and there, as soon as 

 it is finished. The difficulty is, that when 

 yon put an empty section in between two 

 partly filled, the bees will bulge the partly 

 filled ones over into the empty one, if not 

 prevented by separators. If I am correct, 

 those who advocate no separators leave 

 their crates on the hive till the sections are 

 all completed, or nearly so. By tiering up 

 this can be got along with very well, except 

 that a section of honey looks nicer the day it 

 is finished than it ever will again. Every 

 day the bees travel over the white-capped 

 surface, it is more or less soiled ; and when 

 that beautiful white appearance, so much 

 admired in fresh comb honey, is gone, with 

 most people the price must deteriorate. It 

 is like the bloom on grapes— you can not 

 well restore it. 



In the face of these objections, however, 

 the president and others produced comb 

 lioney that took the first premium at the 

 dilTerent fairs, and used no separators. 

 One member present, whose name I have 

 forgotten, said that he made sections of 

 honey answer the same purpose as separat- 

 ors, l)y having one with at least one side 

 capped over on each side of every empty 

 section; that is. wlien he takes out a filled 

 one, and puts an empty one in its place, lie 

 transposes them so as to get them as al)ove. 

 President Hutchinson recommends tliat sec- 

 tions be not more than IS inches in width, 

 and that they be filled full of fdn., and 

 not to give the bees too much room at once, 

 when you wish to dispense with separators. 

 Thinner combs are sealed over sooner than 

 thicker ones, as less time is needed to evap- 

 orate the honey to the proper consistency. 



I POLLEN AND DYSENTEKV. 



1 Considerable time was spent on tlie above 

 subject, although the matter has been much 

 talked about for more than ten years. 

 I When GLEANiX(iS first started, or even 

 ( befoj-e that time, I gave reports in regard to 

 experiments with bees wintered on combs 

 containing absolutely no pollen, and the re- 

 sult then given was, that when wintered 

 thus they were generally if not invariably 

 free from some of the worst features of the 

 bee-disease generally termed dysentery. 



AN mi'KOVE.MENT SUGGESTED ON Ol'R 

 UEE-IIIVE TENT. 



One of the friends mentioned that a suita- 

 ble-sized hole in the top of the tent would 

 allow the bees that collect inside to get out 

 at their itleasiire, but i-obbers would never 

 find their way in. I am inclined to think 

 this would generally prove true, and we 

 shall make some experiments in regard to it 

 as soon as bees fly again. One friend asked 

 what would become of young bees that es- 

 cape in this way, were a tent spread over 

 some cases of honey, for instance, tlie honey 

 being just removed from the hives. The 

 i generai impression seemed to be they would 

 I be lost. But I suggested calling them to- 

 j gether by a spare queen that might not be 

 of any particular use otherwise. 



ARE TWO ENTRANCES ADVISABLE? 



The general impression seemed to be they 

 were not, and reasons wei-e given why they 

 were not advisable. 



AVHEN TO PUT ON THE SECTIONS OVER A 

 COLONY. 



Dr. Whiting advised waiting until white 

 fins of comb were beginning to show on top 

 of the frames over the cluster. 



TIEKIXG UP CRATES OF SECTIONS. 



When a crate of sections is partly finished 

 it is ([uite customary to raise it up and put 

 the case of filled empty sections right under 

 it. Where the colony is strong, the bees 

 often fill the two cases, and sometimes even 

 three. Well, by the usual process of tiering 

 up, the bees are constantly walking over tiie 

 tops of the sections, between the two crates 

 of sections, and they thus have an oppor- 

 tunity to propolize the tops of the new 

 set, as well as the bottoms of the old one. 

 Many of the friends thought this not objec- 

 tionable ; but it seems to me it would be in 

 our locality. AVith wide frames there is no 

 space at all for the bees to pass between the 

 upper and lower tier of sections. 



DOES THE CRATE OF SECTIONS NEED AN 

 Ol'TER COVERING OK CAP? 



Secretary Cutting thinks it does, and my 



exi)erinients Jiave satisfied me that in our 



localitv we want an outer covering. Pres- 



i ident ' Ilutcliinson thinks, however, that 



I many times the bees are too hot within, and 



that the outer case would be like an over- 



: coat in the summer lime. Mr. J. H. Hobert- 



son, who has nsed th<' Heddou case largely. 



also agrees with the president, that no outer 



covering is needed. The point is, do we or 



do we not want the sun during hot days in 



summer, and the wind during cool nights or 



davs which also occui- sometimes in summer. 



