674 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



General Correspondence 



A NEW PLAN FOR THE PRODUCTION OF 

 COMB HONEY AND FOR THE ELIMI- 

 NATION OF SWARMING 



Cutting Extracting-combs in Pieces and Fitting 

 them into Sections for the Bees to Fasten 



BY DR. G. A. HUilPERT 



Some weeks ago we received a letter from Dr. 

 Geo. A. Humpert, a specialist, of St. Louis, Mo., 

 who had evidently taken up beekeeping for pleasure 

 and profit in his back yard. He said he had developed 

 a new system for the production of comb honey that 

 would make it possible to secure perfect sections of 

 honey, all fancy and No. 1. with no seconds; and, 

 more remarkable still, he would be able to eliminate 

 the nuisance of swarming. He desired to know what 

 we would pay for such an article, saying he thought 

 it ought to be worth a considerable sum ; for if one 

 could produce all fancy and No. 1 comb honey and 

 eliminate swarming, it would mean a good deal to 

 the fraternity. We were not willing to pay any def- 

 inite figure until we could have some knowledge of 

 its feasibility from some disinterested party like Dr. 

 C. C. Miller, of Marengo, 111. The result of our 

 negotiation was that the plan was to be submitted 

 to Dr. Miller in all its details, and that Dr. Miller, 

 after examining the same, should give us his unbi- 

 ased opinion of its feasibility without revealing the 

 method or any detail thereof. 



This was done. After examining the system care- 

 fully the doctor wrote us that he did not believe it 

 would prevent swarming, but, of course, did not ex- 

 plain why. Later he was given permission to do so, 

 and then wrote us that the system would fail in 

 swarm prevention because it did not provide draivn 

 combs, such as the extracted-honey man gives his 

 bees; that in the matter of fitting the filled combs 

 into sections and letting the bees fill them, he did not 

 know, but had some doubts. 



This letter of Dr. Miller satisfied us that we 

 could not pay very much for the method. Further 

 negotiations resulted in our securing the privilege 

 of examining into it ourselves with the privilege of 

 placing it before our readers. 



We would not go so far at this time as to say 

 there may not be some possibilities in the plan. It 

 will pay every one of our readers to go over it care- 

 fully, for it is not only exceedingly interesting but it 

 suggests a train of possibilities that may be worth 

 developing. Here is the article: 



Once upon a time a patient said to me, 

 " Doctor, I owe yon a little bill. I haven't 

 tlie money to jiay you, nor do I know when 

 I shall have any. If you could use a stand 

 of bees I might accommodate you." 



It has always been my policy to take 

 whatever I can get. So I took the stand of 

 bees. It was an old-fashioned box hive. The 

 man said that he had always intended to 

 transfer them to a patent hive; but — he 

 was afraid. In fact, he had been afraid to 

 rob the bees. The hive was a sectional af- 

 fair, about tive feet high, and his wife ex- 

 plained that for two or three years preced- 

 ing she had always urged " Henry " that 

 the bees needed room. Then Henry would 

 make another section, slap it on, and — run. 



I had always been vaguely interested in 

 bees, credited them with almost supernatu- 



ral instinct, yet knew but very little about 

 them; but now the interest became acute. 

 I hastened to the public library and secured 

 what books I could find on the subject. I 

 also subscribed to the various periodicals 

 on bee culture, and, as a natural sequence, 

 was soon in the toils of the supply manu- 

 facturers. After the most careful consider- 

 ation and judicious selection a beginner's 

 outfit was ordered. I remember with what 

 feverish impatience I awaited its arrival. 

 Several tracers were sent after the shipment 

 (unnecessarily, I have no doubt). When 

 it finally arrived I went to work and trans- 

 ferred the bees secundum arteni. Dear me ! 

 what a mess it was ! hundreds of the poor 

 little workers succumbed to my inexperienc- 

 ed brutality — the more brutal because of 

 my own fear and trepidation. That her 

 royal highness did not perish was a wonder. 

 However, in a crude way I succeeded, 

 thanks to the industrious workers, in re- 

 pairing the damage I had wrought. 



The bees did well; in fact, I raised more 

 bees than honej', so that by the following 

 year I had six thrifty colonies on the rear 

 part of a town lot, and began to resent the 

 term " beginners " so often met with in the 

 books and journals, as applying to me. My 

 neighbors began to comi^lain ; but being 

 now thoroughly inoculated 1 concluded to 

 remove to a country town. I chose to ship 

 my goods on a boat up the Illinois River, 

 thinking that it would be easier on the bees; 

 but when I followed the last load down the 

 levee I was met by the draj'man who asked 

 what he was to do with the bees, for the 

 captain wouldn't receive them. In surprise 

 I inquired why. " I don't know," said the 

 drayman ; " he simply swore, and, I believe, 

 is swearing yet; but I got one hive on all 

 right before he stopped me." 



I went on board, hunted up the captain, 

 and, when I asked why he would not take 

 the bees, he replied with a string of oaths 

 which, in the way of emphasis and vehe- 

 mence, I have no doubt was quite artistic, 

 but did not answer my question. In an 

 effort to conciliate him I gave every assur- 

 ance that the bees were well packed, and 

 could inconvenience no one. Then the cap- 

 tain made some very pertinent remarks : 



'' Yes," said he, " that's what the beekeep- 

 er also declared who shipped bees on this 

 boat several weeks ago. Well packed ! yes, 

 may be they were ; but when a roustabout 

 knocked a hive off the stack it smashed. 

 The whole air was filled with angry bees, 

 and every d — d nigger jumped into tlie 

 river. We shoveled the busted hive into the 



