883 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



A super just as it c;ime from the hive. Note how 

 little bulging. 



at once, and will start every section before 

 any are much advanced. As the woi-k pro- 

 gresses with uniform speed in the several 

 sections, the comb of each has its allotted 

 space, and there is little or no bulging. 



Next in importance is the strain of bees. 

 It is almost impossible to produce good 

 section honey with some strains of bees; 

 and, though this peculiarity is not limited 

 to honey-production without separators, it 

 is essential to success in such honey-prodne- 

 lion. One should not breed from such queens 

 as give bees which do not yield well-finished 

 sections. I do not know why it is; but 

 some bees will not build straiglit combs, 

 even in natural-comb building. They seem 

 lo like curves, and will frill their combs. 

 I think evei'y obsen^er will agree with me 

 in this, just as we all know how some 

 strains will persist in building brace-combs, 

 fastening their combs to the sepai'ators, or 

 to the sides of the super, or to each othei. 

 Breed entirely from queens whose progeny 

 yield a smooth comb with well-developed 

 sides or edges. 



Next in importance we might name the 

 method of using foundation. One can pro- 

 duce almost equally good non-separatored 

 honey with either starters or full sheets. 

 For over ten years I produced comb honey 

 without separators, using only starters. I 

 gave up starters because I fully believe that 

 one can get a larger crop by the use of full 

 sheets, and also because when starters are 

 used much drone comb i? built and the 



queen is very likely to enter the super — al- 

 ways with disastrous results. Section honey 

 with drone comb is, at the best, not so 

 pleasing in appearance to my eye as worker 

 comb. So, if one produces section honey 

 without the use of separators he liad belter 

 use full sheets of foundation. 



Now comes the question of using free 

 hanging sheets and bottom-starters, or of 

 using pieces which fill the section from side 

 to side, and do without bottom-starters. I 

 have tried both methods, and can see noth- 

 ing but wasted labor in the use of bottom- 

 starters. I will not breed from a queen 

 V hose bees will not build comb to the 

 bottom of the section. AVith the right strain 

 of bees there will be absolutely no need of 

 bottom starters. But there is absolute need 

 of sheets of foundation which fill the sec- 

 tion from side to side, or end to end. 



I buy foundation which is just four inches 

 wide. I cut it so that there will be a scant 

 quarter-inch space at the bottom of the 

 section — that is, I cut it a trifle longer than 

 3% inches. I find that if it is cut longer 

 than this it will sometimes stretch so much 

 in hot weather that it will buckle and cause 

 a bulge. Yet I have produced good sections 

 by using sheets four by four, completely 

 filling the section. 



The use of hot-plate machines has been 

 dropped. My sections are all filled by the 

 melted-wax system. Blocks of the right 

 thickness are nailed to a light board, and 

 sections placed on these blocks. The brush 

 from the melted wax is run along each end 

 of the section, and then along the top. I 

 make no effort to see that the foundation is 

 attached throughout the side edges, nor 

 even at the top. If four-fifths of the top 

 and half the sides are attached good results 

 will be assured. The sheet must be exactly 

 in the middle of the section, and the section 

 must be square. When the sections are 

 ])laced in the super they must not be forced 

 lo cause the foundation to buckle or spring 

 away from the walls of the section. 



It sounds like a lot of labor to put in 

 foundation this way, but it is labor that 

 ]iays. I can hire a skillful boy at one dollar 

 or so per day, and he can put up one thou- 

 sand a day. Under pressure I can myself 

 do about two thousand. After one is used 

 to the work he can do it well and expedi- 

 tiously. It is essential, however, that the 

 foundation be well made, cut true, and thai 

 it has not suffered in shipment. It is an 

 art to make foundation, and it is another 

 art to cut the little sheets for the sections. 

 I do not trust the cutting to any one but 

 myself. I can cut five pounds in about 

 half an hour. 



