AMERICAN BEE JOURNAU 



463 



XO SEPARATOR, OR NOX XO SEPARAXOR? 



BY G. M. DOOLITTLE. 



A correspondent writes, saying : " A party writes me that just as nice comb 

 honey can be secured without separators as can be with their use. Is this so? I 

 am about to prepare for another season this fall, and if separators are not necessary 

 in producing comb honey, I wish to know it in time so I can make my preparations 

 accordingly. Please reply through the American Bee Journal, as your answer 

 will doubtless be interesting to others besides myself." 



This question of separators or no separators is something which must come up 

 for the decision of each one. None can decide the matter for another. Many have 

 claimed during the past that separators were useless, and wishing not to appear 

 wedded to my fixtures, I have tried dispensing with them in a part of my apiary, 

 and actually found that I could, by taking great precaution, as to the hive being 

 level, the foundation fastened to the sides and top of the sections securely, and by 

 giving just the right amount of room, so that the bees would commence in all at 

 once, get combs built true enough to crate, especially if care was taken in crating, 

 so that the " fat " side of one section was placed next to the " lean " side of the one 

 next to it; but when it came to the glassing of them, that was out of the question. 

 To be sure, most markets do not desire glass on the honey ; but as a few do, it 

 makes it very handy to have our honey so we can glass it if we wish. 



While, as I said, I had succeeded by using much precaution in getting a fair job 

 done without separators, yet I found that this same precaution cost me more than 

 the separators, and that, unless I used this precaution, the loss by bulged and un- 

 evenly filled sections was still greater than the first. So I found that there was 

 nothing gained in trying to dispense with separators, but, on the contrary, such a 

 trial would be very likely to result in a loss, owing to the nicety of the work required. 



Again, I found that I must leave the case of sections on the hive until finished, 

 before they were disturbed, for if I added more room, except by way of a full case, 

 on the tiering-up plan, I was sure of getting the combs so badly bulged that I could 

 do nothing with them, save to sell them as "chunk honey." This spoiled one of the 

 best ideas I know of in bee-keeping, namely, the putting on of a small amount of 

 surplus room at first, and gradually increasing it as the bees become strong, until 

 the full capacity of the hive was reached. I am satisfied that this one idea has 

 much to do with successful honey-production. So if I dispensed with separators, I 

 lost quite a share of my success also, and all because some were prophesying and 

 saying that " separators were fast becoming things of the past." 



Once more : I could not take my sections off once every week to ten days, as I 

 had formerly done, while the combs had a snowy whiteness, which always gives 



