224 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 15 



dation. I do not mean to say that bees will 

 not, under other conditions, tear down foun- 

 dation, for they sometimes do ; but this is a 

 fruitful source of this mischief, of which we 

 hear complaint. 



Wiring thus, holds the foundation in place 

 until the bees shall have fastened it ; and if 

 there is any expansion, there is no danger of 

 buckling; hence even, straight comb is the 

 result. 



Care should be taken in placing the frames 

 in the hive. It would not be advisable to put 

 such foundation in the center of a hive of a 

 populous colony during very hot weather, 

 as there might be danger of its breaking down 

 before it had become securely fastened ; but 

 it would be all right at the sides and in the 

 second story, or in building up a weak colony 

 anywhere. I have had no trouble in hiving 

 new swarms on such foundation. 



Now, it will be readily seen that, if 13 sheets 

 to the pound can be successfully used, it will 

 be very much to the advantage of bee keepers 

 to use such instead of 6 to 8 sheets, as has been 

 the custom, notwithstanding the price is 

 slightly higher. When bee-keepers come to 

 understand that 2 lbs of foundation is suffi- 

 cient to fill 3 hives, instead of 3 lbs. being re- 

 quired to fill 2, much more foundation in full 

 sheets, and fewer starters, will be used, and 

 less drone comb produced ; thus everybody 

 connected with the business will be benefited. 



I've also been experimenting along the line 

 of comb honey production, which has given 

 me much satisfaction. The standard 4% and 

 4x5x1^4^ beeway sections, with and without 

 separators, were used. As this has not been a 

 favorable season for honey in this locality — 

 surplus coming late and very slowly — better 

 results have been obtained without than with 

 separators, excepting where they were perfor- 

 ated with i\- holes. With solid wood separa- 

 tors, bees built brace-comb, more or less, in 

 nearly all the hives, thus injuring cappings ; 

 but with perforations, say five to each side of 

 the section, the comb was built as true as if a 

 straight-edge had been used. A photo of sam- 

 ples of such are herewith inclosed. Neither 

 photos of brood comb nor sections show as 

 well as the originals. Sections in lower row 

 are capped as white as snowflakes ; but next 

 above are what are known as greasy cappings, 

 all from the same case. 



In my experiments vpith the surplus cham- 

 ber, two of the most populous colonies were 



selected to test the matter of greasy sections. 

 Cases containing 32 sections each were placed 

 over the brood-chamber with the winter cush- 

 ions kept on all summer, an air-space of about 

 three inches being left around the section- 

 case, as the hives are what is known as 

 the twostory chaff, with packing inclos- 

 ing the first story only, leaving the sec- 

 ond story simply an outside shell of thin 

 material. 



The season, as before remarked, has 

 been a slow one, and the center of the 

 case, as a matter of course, being first oc- 

 cupied, was completed before much if 

 any attention was given to the outside 

 rows of sections. After the fall honey- 

 flow began, much quick work was done. 

 Through the center of the cases every sec- 

 tion, excepting at the extreme ends, was 

 capped greasy, not travel-stained, but 

 thoroughly greasy in appearance ; but the 

 outside sections were capped as white as one 

 could wish to see. The inside sections were 

 much heavier, the honey being very thick and 

 waxy, and very fine. 



One thing further, and I'll not tax your pa- 

 tience longer. With such a season as we have 

 had this year, the 4 '4 section is filled and cap- 

 ped more completely than the 4x5x13/1 ^s 

 shown in the photo, all of which were used 

 with perforated separators. With a flush flow 

 there would be, probably, little if any differ- 

 ence. This is my first experience with 4x5 

 sec ions. I have some handsome specimens, 

 and like them very much, barely balancing 

 the scales at a pound each. I think such as I 

 have with beeway space, with perforated sec- 

 arators, preferable to the plain with fence. 

 On submitting them for inspection by the side 

 of standard 4V to several ladies, at different 



times, the unanimous verdict was in favor of 

 the square section ; "and they look so much 

 nicer when placed on the table." 



While we obtain theories and hints from 

 the books and journals, which are absolutely 

 necessary to success, we acquire more positive 

 knowledge by careful work in the apiary than 

 anywhere else. It is to be hoped that careful 

 bee-keepers will do a little experimenting 



