614 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



Sept. 24, 



consider them of such value that I waot every section filled 

 with foundation. 



2. Would you advise the use of foundation to the extent 

 that you do when the completed sectiou will bring in no larger 

 returns than does the one without so much foundation? 



An8. — I think I would, if I correctly understand your 

 question. 



NARROW SECTIONS AND SLOTTED SEPARATORS. 



3. Do you think it advisable to use 1 Ji-inch sections and 

 separators, a la E. Taylor, where the only section to be had 

 (in case you run short) is the 1% inch size, and where ship- 

 ping-cases and all surplus arrangements are sold only to 

 accommodate the 1 K-inch section ? 



Ans. — Having never tried Mr. Taylor's plan, I am not so 

 competent to answer, but in general there should be a good 

 deal of advantage gained thereby to warrant one in using any- 

 thing but standard goods in such articles as sections that must 

 constantly be bought anew. To answer your question more 

 directly, I prefer to use 1% sections with ordinary separators, 

 bnt, as already intimated, I might change my mind if I should 

 give the other plan a fair trial. 



WHAT ABOUT FULL WEIGHT SECTIONS OF HONEY. 



4. Do you believe it to be an advantage to get a full 

 pound of honey in a section ? Does the Eastern trade take as 

 kindly to them as they do to those holding only about M pound? 



Ans. — In general, both East and West, I think a section 

 weighing a full pound is not so well liked as one that weighs 

 less. In some cases, at least, the reason is that the section is 

 sold for a pound no matter what Its weight, although those 

 who thus sell the sections are not willing to buy by the section, 

 but insist on buying by weight. For the rest of this answer 

 see the next. 



5. Do you succeed in getting more than 13 ounces of 

 honey in the regular size section (IK), which I presume you 

 use? If so, how do you do it? 



Ans. — I can't answer that question, for the reason that I 

 never got a crop of honey entirely in 1% sections — (I'll come 

 pretty near it this year, but it will be some days before it is 

 weighed). But I think I can answer the spirit of your ques- 

 tion. 1 don't believe the man is yet born who can get 1% 

 sections, or sections of any other size, filled so that there shall 

 not be a good deal of variation in weight. I think you can 

 easily get more than 13 ounces in a 1% section by omitting 

 to use separators. And with separators you may do it in a 

 flush season by crowding your bees hard for room. But you 

 can't by any way that I know of, get all to weigh alike. 

 Neither can you get them to average the same one year as 

 they do another, unless the seasons are alike. So I prefer not 

 only to have my sections weigh less than a pound, but I'd 

 rather have them weigh a good deal less than a pound — so 

 much less that no dishonest grocer would be able to sell for a 

 pound what is not a pound. 



THUMB-SCREWS IN PLACE OF WEDGES. 



6. Have you ever used thumb-screws in place of wedges ? 

 If so, were they a success ? If you have never used them, do 

 you believe that they will insure less propolis between the sec- 

 tions by reason of greater pressure, and do you think that 

 they make the changing of sections during a flow enough 

 easier and quicker to make up for cost of adopting same? 



Ans. — I never used them. 1 wedge my sections in a super 

 with a straight stick H of an Inch shorter than the inside 

 length of the super, 3^ an inch wide, and H thick. A follower 

 the same length as the stick, 4>^ inches wide and ^ thick, 

 crowds up against the sections, and the wedge-stick is 

 crowded in between the follower and the side of the super, 

 one end of the stick going to the bottom of the super, and the 

 other end coming to the top. I doubt if I would like a thumb- 

 screw any better. The stick gives a diagonal line of equal 



pressure, whereas the thumb-screw gives pressure only at one 

 point. I don't want sections in a super to swap places before 

 being taken off. I want the super to stay on till all but the 

 four corner sections, and possibly a few others, are finished, 

 then I take off the whole business, take out the unfinished 

 sections, collect them from a number of supers, put them in a 

 fresh super, and put them back on a hive to be finished. 



TRANSFERRING BEES. 



T. Do you think that I could transfer bees next spring by 

 simply inserting a queen-excluder between the old hive and 

 new one, putting the queen below on full sheets nf founaation, 

 and reap the same harvest that I would have reaped had I not 

 transferred them ? Or how would it be if only starters were 

 used ? Would the bees draw out the foundation even if no 

 honey was coming in, they having only the amount in the old 

 hive to draw from ? Do you think it would pay to feed at this 

 time for the purpose of hurrying them up ? If so, how much 

 would it probably take to complete the drawing out of the 

 combs ? 



Ans. — No, I don't believe you'd get as much honey as to 

 let the bees alone, unless indeed you could count on a good 

 fall flow. I believe you might like better to increase this 

 year, using a plan that I practiced to some extent last year. I 

 took all the combs from a strong colony, filled up their hive 

 with frames filled with foundation, put on a feeder, and gave 

 them equal parts of water and granulated sugar — it was in 

 the last of July or first of August — and fed till the hive was 

 well filled, giving perhaps 20 pounds of sugar. I put the 

 brood over another strong colony, an excluder under the 

 brood so the colony couldn't get up ; after 24 hours I took 

 away this hive of brood with the bees that had gone up, set it 

 on a new stand and gave it a queen or queen-cell. Thus you 

 see I got three colonies from two, and all of them were good 

 colonies this spring. I think you will see that one advantage 

 of this plan over waiting till next spring is that you get the 

 laying of three queens instead of two this fall and next spring. 



8. Would it not be likely to give the colony a set back to 

 thus divide il, when th.i nights are still quite cold, and where 

 robbers are prowling about countinually ? 



Ans. — I think it would. 



NATURAL vs. ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. 



9. Do you consider natural swarming far ahead of arti- 

 ficial ? 



Ans. — Now what makes you ask a question of that kind ? 

 Do you want me to get into trouble? Don't you know that 

 bee-keepers believe that there's a sort of influence obtained 

 from natural swarming that gives better results than can be 

 obtained without it ? But you've asked me what I consider 

 about It, and if you'll promise to say nothing to any one else 

 about it I'll tell you what I think. I don't know whether the 

 popular opinion is correct, but I have serious doubts about it, 

 and I'd a good deal rather never have a natural swarm. I 

 don't believe there's anything gained by natural swarming 

 that can't be gained without it, but then I don't know for 

 sure. 



tJUEEN-ESCLUDING VS. PLAIN HONEY-BOARDS. 



10. Would you advise the use of queen-excluding honey- 

 boards in preference to plain ones ? Or are you of the opinion 

 that the bees will work in the supers just as readily as they 

 will with the common wood honey-board? 



Ans. — I don't think there's much difference, but I have 

 had so little trouble with queens going up through the Heddon 

 slat honey-board that I wouldn't pay the difference to have 

 excluders. Now I'll answer a little more than you've asked, 

 and say that the hives that have suited me best this year arc 

 those that have neither kind of honey-board. Top-bare 1 V 

 wide and % thick, with 3i inch between top-bars and sections. 



MORE QUESTIONS TO FOLLOW. 



11. Aren't you glad that I shall keep the balance of my 

 questions over for another lime ? 



Ans. — Yes, I'm glad you still have soro« left, and If you're 



