178 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



July 



till every frame was filled with work- 

 er corah. In these days of comb 

 foundaliou, however, it is doubtful 

 whether it pays to do much of this 

 patching of conibs, but I think to melt 

 up full combs, as some recommend, 

 and buy foundation to fit in frames, is 

 very poor policy. I never could see 

 why such advice was given by those 

 who had the name of being practical, 

 level headed, apiarists. When 

 swarms came near or at the com- 

 mencement of the main honey flow 

 they Avere hived on only five frames 

 and as soon as these were filled with 

 worker conib, which would be as a 

 rule, I sp)'ead them apart, putting in 

 each alternate space an empty comb, 

 which I had made by patching, or 

 gotten by saving through some hook 

 or crook, thns completing a hive full 

 of comb just when I wished it the 

 most. If the swarms were too large 

 to work profitably building these few 

 combs, as the most of them would be, 

 sections were put on so that they 

 could be at work in these, this taking 

 the pressure of honey off the brood 

 apartment, so that the bees were more 

 likely to build all worker comb, as 

 well as to make the best use of every 

 single bee. In this experiment, I 

 found that I could secure one-third 

 more honey from a swarm treated in 

 that way, than from one building the 

 whole nine frames full of comb dur- 

 ing the height of the -honey harvest, 

 and by filling the hive full of comb at 

 the time pi' hiving, I obtained nearly 

 double the amount .that I. did- when 

 using a f.ull hive ,of .frames having 

 only starters it them. • If these combs 

 could be. filled with honey J as I some- 

 times had, themj I could- secure fai- 

 raoj-^e. honey, in the sections than -by 



any other plan. It the swarm con- 

 tains a good prolific queen, and no oth- 

 er should be used in such cases, nearly 

 all the honey there was in these combs 

 would be in the sections in two weeks, 

 as well as that gathered from the 

 fields and the combs nicely filled with 

 brood. There is nothing of more 

 value in the upiary than good, straight, 

 worker cotubs, except good prolific 

 queens, for the.se two can be called the 

 foundation stone of successful api- 

 culture. Such combs should oe look- 

 ed after with care when away from 

 the bees, and the larvse of the wax 

 moth should not be allowed to spoil 

 them as very many so often allow. 

 Some have the idea that'foundation is 

 preferable to frames full of comb. 

 This I think a mistaken idea, for the 

 bees must consume some time iu get- 

 ting the foundation worked out to full 

 combs, saying nothing of the expense 

 of buying it, or the work of putting it 

 into the frames. Foundation is good 

 in its place, and I use very much of it, 

 but I haye it all fitted in frames and 

 drawn into combs by the bees, or have 

 frames filled with nice worker combs 

 by the bees building the same, I can- 

 not see any sense in melting it up, or 

 allowing the moth to consume it. I 

 was pained not long ago, to see hun- 

 dreds of moth eaten combs on the 

 premises of a prominent bee-keeper, 

 who had a few years before purchased 

 a foundation machine. ' These combs 

 had been looked after/with care in 

 years gone by, and were built in the 

 frames as straight and true as a board; 

 and to my mind, before the' moths' had! 

 damaged them, were worth double the 

 same amouht of eomb foundation. ' In' 

 bee-keeping, as well as in -any other 

 business,, pi-osperity , comes only in. 



