1908 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



631 



General 

 Correspondence 



COMB AND EXTRACTED HONEY 

 PRODUCED IN THE SAME SU- 

 PER A LA TOWNSEND. 



A Modification of the Split-section Plan. 



BY R. R. FOSLER. 



I wish to make a few remarks on articles 

 which have appeared in Gleanings. 



In Fig. 1 are several sections of bait combs 

 partially drawn out from founda- 

 tion put in by the Hand method in 

 split sections. As you will notice, 

 the foundation does not extend down 

 to the lower end, as the foundation 

 used was only 3% in. wide instead 

 of 5. I am in favor of this method 

 in several ways: first, the combs are 

 fastened to the sections better than 

 in any way I have tried before. The 

 few sections that I experimented 

 with were not put in wide frames 

 with top-bars as Mr. H. advises, but 

 in common section - holders with 

 simply the bottom and the ends. 

 In this way the bees gnaw the edge 

 of the foundation that projects 

 through the wood at the top of the section, leav- 

 ing it somewhat below the surface of the wood. 

 In this crack the bees deposit small quantities of 

 propolis, completely hiding the wax. After the 



impossible to tell that there ever was any founda- 

 tion there. The only objection I can see to this 

 method is the buckling. These sections that I 

 was experimenting with buckled slightly, but 

 the photo does not show it. 



Fig. 2 shows some finished sections with top 

 and bottom starters. These are not filled out 

 quite as perfectly as they might be, but were tak- 

 en off as soon as capped over, which accounts for 

 that. These were obtained by the plan of pro- 

 ducing both comb and extracted honey in the 

 same super, which Mr. Townsend described on 

 page 776, June 1, last year. I consider this the 

 best article that has appeared in Gleanings for 

 some time. I tried the matter thoroughly, and 

 am convinced that I have tried nothing better. 



sections are taken out and scraped it is almost 



FIG. L — SPLIT SECTIONS CONTAINING FOUNDATION PARTLY 

 DRAWN. 



I also tried this on weak colonies that were 

 not strong enough to work in comb-honey su- 

 pers without the extracting-combs for baits. 

 Shortly after this super was put on, the bees 

 were found working on the extracting-combs at 



the side of the 

 super, and then 

 when work was 

 started in the 

 sections it was 

 started at each 

 side instead of 

 at the center; 

 and, as a result, 

 they were nearly 

 all finished at 

 the same time. 

 Milford, Neb. 



[The plan of 

 producing comb 

 and extracted 

 honey in the 

 same super, we 

 are sure is all 

 right, as we 

 have tried some- 

 thing very sim- 

 ilar. In the case 

 of colonies slow 

 about go i n g 

 into the supers, 

 it is especially 

 good. 



We are not 

 sure but thas 

 section - holderr 

 may be bettet 



FIG. 2. — HONEY PRODUCED IN A SUPER WITH EXTRACTING-COMBS AT THE SIDES. 



This honey was removed as soon as capped, which accounts for the fact that the sect ions were not 

 filled clear to the sides. 



