33 S 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 15 



soon after it is taken from the hive. Why, 

 we often have our extracting-frames break out 

 in the extractor from having granulated spots 

 in them. Sometimes we have some left over 

 that we have stored for spring feed, and put 

 them on early to get them cleaned out ; and 

 if the honey -flow comes on strong and fast 

 the bees will just clean out a little bit of it, 

 even if we uncap it, and store a little new hon- 

 ey on top of the old, and seal it up. I have 

 lost many combs this way when I had careless 

 help in the honey-house. 



I don't even use sections of comb that have 

 been licked clean, as I had an experience that 

 made me think it didn't pay. Several years 

 ago I took off fifty supers of fine sections ; 

 and as I was putting them into the honey- 

 house at my lower apiary I let one fall on my 

 foot ; and as soon as I could get the honey all 

 in I shut up the place and came home. I was 

 not able to use my foot for several days, and 

 when I did get back down there I found that 

 the bees had got in and cleaned out those 1200 

 sections, leaving me a fine lot of combs. I 

 took care of them, and in the spring I put 

 them on, expecting to get them ready for mar- 

 ket early. There came a good early honey- 

 flow, and those sections of comb were filled 

 in a few days. I lifted them and put new sec- 

 tions under. In a little while the new ones 

 were filled and partly sealed, but not a cell 

 sealed on the old sections. Some of those 

 sections had to be lifted back and forth all 

 summer, as the bees never sealed them as well 

 as the newer ones ; and when they did get 

 them done they were what the boys called ' ' a 

 measly-looking mess," as they were spotted 

 and old-looking; so I made a lot of second- 

 grade honey, and did a lot of lifting of supers 

 that could have been avoided, all to save a few 

 sections. Now we never put a left-over sec- 

 tion back on a hive. Near the close of the 

 season we practice the go-back system, send- 

 ing the go-backs to the best colonies. What 

 unfinished sections we do have we sort out 

 carefully. The sections that are not good 

 enough to put into cases are cut out and sold 

 as chunk honey to the neighbors at six- cents 

 a pound, and we use a lot of it on our table. 

 The thin lean sections are cut out into a tank 

 of warm water, and the honey strained out to 

 make into vinegar, and the wax goes into the 

 wax-extractor, and the section boxes into the 

 kindling-wood box. In this way I think we 

 more than get pay for new sections, and then 

 we have no bother with the old things. I 

 don't want any bait sections, but am sure that 

 here, at least, we can get a first-class article of 

 comb honey only by having every thing clean, 

 new, and fresh about the sections. 



Mancos, Colo. 



[This is more in line with the reports that 

 we have received in the past ; but here are 

 two reports on the "other side: "] 



138. Now, I do the same thing, and like 

 them, provisionally; i. e., I want them to be 

 clean and nice-looking sections, with light 

 comb, no matter what the quality of the honey; 

 then uncap them if any part are sealed, and 

 put them on the strong colonies early, in ap- 

 ple-bloom if colonies are strong enough. 

 There is nearly always a shortage just after ap- 

 ple-bloom, and the bees will carry down or use 

 all the old honey, if uncapped, and generally 

 all they have gathered in fruit-bloom too, un- 

 less there is a very abundant flow from cherry 

 besides. The cherry honey is light, and so is 

 peach honey, and worth saving in the surplus. 

 The apple honey they are welcome to, though 

 it sometimes comes in sufiicient quantity to 

 fill their brood-combs, and sets them up in 

 supplies with quite a boost. But when the 

 bees get a good big start in the partly filled 

 sections, the second time, and when the first 

 good flow fairly sets in, and the weather is 

 warm, I raise up that set and put another set 

 under it, with foundation in. That is where I 

 get my nice honey, if anywhere, for that sea- 

 son. But you will say many of these sections 

 are soiled, or some may have dark honey and 

 old comb in them. Save all such for the fall 

 flow, when dark honey is coming in, and they 

 will do for the cheaper grade of honey. Use 

 only the nice ones for the flow of light honey. 



This is the way I got a colony to put up 

 over 100 lbs. of sections before they swarmed, 

 and not a very good season either. 



Now as to using old brood-combs, I have 

 many in use that were built from 1874 to '76, 

 and they are good yet, and give me just as 

 good bees as any other, though " black as a 

 boot " and tough enough to lie on their side 

 full of honey without bending or bulging. 

 J. O. Shearman. 



New Richmond, Mich., Feb. 25. 



[But, look here ; I have not "decided" 

 against Doolittle's judgment. I stated the 

 .prevailing opinion regarding the practice, and 

 then asked for reports. — Ed.] 



DOOI.ITTl,B'S POSITION SUSTAINED. 



I wish to enter my protest against your way 



of deciding against Mr. Doolittle's judgment 



in using last-year's sections with some honey 



in, over again, for the next season's crop, p. 



UNFINISHED SECTIONS ; IS THE HONEY IN 

 THEM MORE APT TO CANDY ? 



BIr. Root: — On page 138 you invite reports 

 regarding the use of unfinished sections, other 

 than baits. If I understand Mr. Doolittle he 

 does not use them for any other purpose, but 

 advocates using the partly filled ones again 

 after extracting, without having the bees clean 

 them up. This has been my practice for sev- 

 eral years, and I find it works well. I am not 

 troubled with candied honey ; but then, hon- 

 ey in this locality seldom candies. 



I would not advise any one to use partly 

 filled sections except two or three in each su- 

 per, for baits only — especially if there were 

 capped cells. My experience is, when the 

 bees are crowded for room they will invariably 

 extend the open cells beyond those capped the 

 previous season, which makes ugly and un- 

 salable sections. M. D. Andes. 



Bristol, Tenn., Feb. 23. 



[Let's have more reports. In the multitude 

 of counselors there is safety. — Ed.] 



