Nov. 30, 190S 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



825 



these cans undesirable. Since the S-inch screw-cap was mide 

 the comb honey could be packed very nicely, and when un- 

 packed it came out more easily, and looked fine. This made 

 it ten times more easy to sell a crop of honey, and with a 

 larger profit, as a great demand for such hulk-comb honey 

 was soon created. Besides, the adulteration practiced with 

 extracted honey was done away with to a great extent. 



He uses the 10-frame hive 3 stories high in the spring, 

 and 4 stories high later. He lets the bees store in extracting 

 combs first, in the beginning of the flow, until these combs are 

 nearly ready to seal, then he alternates combs by adding 

 frames with foundation between them. He claims that the 

 bees go to work so very much sooner in the full-depth supers 

 when treated in this way than when shallow supers are used 

 in the usual way. 



Mr. Victor is not in the comb-honey business now. He 

 used deep supers, but would prefer shallow supers if he were 

 in the business. To have the hive full of hatching brood 10 

 days before the flow is essential. No excluders are used. It 

 is a good plan to have baits above which help to keep the bees 

 from swarming, as they occupy the new room given them. A 

 shallow extracting super put on early is of much value. The 

 bees store the early honey there instead of crowding it into 

 the brood-nest ; the young bees get used to living there, and 

 work in the new supers immediately when given them between 

 the shallow extracting super and the brood-nest. In this way 

 an extra amount of extracted and more comb honey is pro- 

 cured. Shallow supers are decidedly preferable, especially 

 during a slow or short flow, as one or two finished supers of 

 honey can be obtained while the deep ones are not filled. 

 Room should be given before the flow is on, and not wait till 

 the flow has begun, so that the first honey goes above and not 

 into the brood-chamber. 



Mr. Milam remarked that no two localities nor two sea- 

 sons are alike, therefore much depends upon the successful 

 production of comb honey. For success a fast flow is neces- 

 sary. Swarming stops as soon as the bees get the whole idea 

 that they will store honey. He uses excluders and prevents 

 brood-rearing in the new combs. Some bee-keepers claim 

 that these are honey-excluders, but he uses them and keeps 

 the queen in one or more lO-frame hives below. One must 

 study his locality, and then the season is as important as the 

 locality. You can not get comb honey from weak colonies. 

 These are run for extracted honey. Shallow supers are bet- 

 ter, as a few supers of honey can be produced on weak colo- 

 nies when it can not be done with larger, full-depth bodies. 

 He does not like to extract from the brood-chamber. 



Mr. Laws— The subject of bulk-comb honey production is 

 a very important one, as bulk-comb honey brings us our 

 money. There is a great demand for this kind of honey. 



Mr. Kutts is in favor of the shallow frame. All those 

 who have tried them continue to use them, and those who 

 condemn them are those who have never tried them. They 

 don't know it all. Weak colonies are not good for producing 

 comb honey, and should be run for extracted. Extracted 

 honey is needed anyway to pack the comb honey with. He 

 does not get enough extracted honey, and has to buy it 

 from others to pack his comb honey. He tried something new 

 the past season in the way of putting up bulk-comb honey. 

 When he heard of the way The A. I. Root Co. put up cakes of 

 granulated honey wrapped in wax-paper, the idea struck him 

 that comb honey might be put up in much the same way. He 

 packed some of it, but did not ship any. Each comb is wrapped 

 separately in a piece of paraffin paper and then packed in the 

 cans. As there is no liquid honey outside of these separate 

 packages, each comb can be taken out individually in a nice 

 and perfect condition. This is a new idea, and may be worth 

 something to the bee-keepers. 



Mr. Hagood stated that bulk-comb honey can be produced 

 successfully only with strong colonies of bees. Good, thrifty 

 queens are all-important. The weak colonies should be man- 

 aged for extracted honey. 



Willie Atchley — The bee-keeper must first study his loca- 

 tion and acquaint himself with the honey-flows before any- 

 thing else in order to be successful. Two full-depth hive- 

 bodies are used for the brood- chamber, and the exchanging- 

 of combs of brood and honey from below and above ; spread- 

 ing brood to work the queens for all they are worth, to pro- 

 cure rousing colonies by the time of the flow. When it opens, 

 all the hatching brood is crowded into the lower body and the 

 full-depth supers are put on. The bees take possession at 

 once. In my locality swarming stops when the honey begins 

 to rush in, and there is no dangerof swarmsduring the honey- 

 flow with the method practiced. The remaining brood may 

 be used for new colonies, or with which to strengthen others, 

 or the combs may be used over extracted-honey colonies. If 

 I crowd mv colonies down into a single brood-chamber by us- 



ing excluders, and use only shallow supers, as Mr. Victor and 

 Mr. Milam do, it would take one man for every 100 colotics of 

 bees to keep down swarming. I have had the strong colonies 

 to draw out the foundation and finish a 10-frame full-depth 

 super in 6 days' time. 



Mr. Pharr never produced much bulk-comb honey, but he 

 agreed with Mr. Atchley, that one must of necessity " work 

 the queen for all she is worth." Then when the supers are 

 put on, some chunk honey is obtained in a good flow, while 

 extracted is obtained if the flow is light. Bees are loth to go 

 up into shallow supers, and two deep supers of comb honey 

 can be obtained as against three shallow ones. He believes 

 the deep, full-depth bodies are the supers to be used for 

 money, and that is what we are keeping bees for. 



Mr. At<-hley said that another |)oint brought out in using 

 two full bodies for a brood-chamber in getting rousing colo- 

 nies of bees, is the ease with which increase can be obtained. 

 When the upper story is removed some brood and bees are 

 left in it, a bottom and cover is put on, a ripe cell or a queen 

 is given, and the newly-made colony is set away on a new 

 stand. This leaves the old colony with the old bees on the 

 old stand in first-class condition for bulk-comb honey. 



Mr. Kutts winters his bees in two deeii bodies, pushes 

 brood rearing in both until the honey-flow, and then shakes 

 them into one below where he places all the brood. When 

 shaking them he handles the bees roughly to cause them to 

 gorge themselves with honey, and as the shallow supers with 

 Foundation are added at the same time, they b^gin comb-build- 

 ing immediately. With deep combs it is hard to get them 

 capped entirely unless you have a good honey-How. 



Mr. Laws handles his bees in deep bodies, two for a brood- 

 chamber, and if one were to watch him he would think that 

 he was trying to do nothing else but to prevent swarming. 

 He scatters the brood throughout two bodies, then compacts 

 it in one at the approach of the flow. .Just so the bees are 

 there when the flow comes the bulk-comb honey will be ob- 

 tained all right. 



Mr. Bell tried both shallow and deep supers. If he would 

 use the shallow supers he would use them from the ground 

 up, as he does not like two different depths or sizes of hives 

 in a yard. The first thing is to produce the bees — then there 

 must be the honey, of course. 



(Continued next week.) 



# 



Report of the Chicago-Northwestem Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Couveutlou, held at Chicago, 111., 

 Nov. 30 aud Dec. 1, 1904 



(Continued from page 810.J 

 SWEET CLOVER HONEY. 



"What are the objections, if any, to honey produced from 

 sweet clover?" 



Mr. Horstmann— There is no objection. That is the best 

 honey produced. ^ 



Pres. York— The only objection then, is, that we don t 

 get enough of it ! 



Mr. Colburn— I have heard the suggestion that it was 

 not as good as white clover honey. I have been in localities 

 where I got both, and I confess I like the white best. The 

 sweet clover is very fine — it is very far ahead of anything 

 else in looks, but I don't think the quality is as good as 

 the white clover. If you can get it mixed it is good. 



Mr. Becker— I think sweet clover is all right, providmg 

 there is no other honey with it. I have had experience with 

 sweet clover. We don't get it pure in our neighborhood. 

 Whenever we take it to Springfield we have to have our 

 sales made before we get there to get rid of it. They don't 

 like it in that locality. I bought some from Mr. York, 

 four or five years ago, when there was no honey at all in 

 our part of the country, not even an ounce, and I took it 

 down to the State fair to make my exhibit, and then sold 

 it out; and the store keepers who sold the honey ^ use to 

 tell me, "Becker, you have ruined my honey-trade." They 

 said, "That isn't honey." 



Pres. York — Didn't you get a premium on that honey? 



Mr. Becker— Yes. [Laughter.] 



Mr. Kannenberg— I think it depends a good deal 

 man that sells the honey, and how to educate the 

 to taste the honey. I think if Mr. Becker educaV 

 people to get the honey they liked they would eat/ 

 the same. 



Pres. York— Probably there is not enough of it 



Mr. Colburn— I have in my place three differ/ 



