the comb is on the board. It is con- 

 venient to have an assistant when tak- 

 ing the wires off. I can drive out and 

 transfer 10 colonies a day, when robbers 

 do not bother. 

 West Groton, N. Y. 



From the Rural New Yorker. 



How to Place Sections on the Hive. 



REV. O. CLUTE. 



Without denying that, under some cir- 

 cumstances, other receptacles for comb 

 honey may be serviceable and desirable, 

 I think it is generally conceded that 

 the prize section is best adapted for the 

 markets of the larger cities. It is pro- 

 bable that before many years have 

 passed nearly all the comb honey that 

 goes to market will be stored in this, or 

 a very similar section. The method of 

 putting the sections on the hives is a 

 subject of a good deal of practical im- 

 portance. There are three methods in 

 somewhat wide use. 



Those who use a honey-board over 

 the frames, often arrange and fasten 

 the sections side by side, until they 

 make a long box, glass the open ends of 

 this box, and place it on the honey- 

 board, just in the way in which the old 

 5 lb. boxes are put on. For those who 

 use a honey-board this method will 

 answer, but for the large number who 

 reject the honey-board it will not do. 



Another method advocated by some, 

 excellent bee-keepers and used some- 

 what extensively, is to put the sections 

 in cases, or holders, and to hang the 

 cases in a super, just as a frame is 

 hung in a hive. The super, filled with 

 these cases of sections, is set on the 

 hive, bringing the cases immediately 

 over the brood-chamber, with only a % 

 inch space between. At first this seems 

 to be an excellent way. It is easy to 

 arrange the sections in the cases ; to 

 hang the cases in the super, and to set 

 the super on the hive. All is done in a 

 few minutes, and everything is snug 

 and tight. But from my own expe- 

 rience I am led to think there are two 

 strong objections to this method. 



First, it is not possible to examine 

 easily how work is progressing in the 

 sections. It is important for the bee- 

 keeper to know this, and he needs to 

 make frequent examinations. By this 

 method of placing sections, such exam- 

 inations are difficult. Take off the lid 

 of the super and you have only the tops 

 of the cases to look down upon. You 

 attempt to lift out one of these cases, 

 but find that it is not easy work. If 

 the cases have been shoved close to- 



gether — as they ought to be — it is very 

 probable that the bees have glued them 

 together, so that they must be pried 

 apart. Not unfrequently the bees have 

 fastened the bottom-bar of the case to 

 the tops of the frames beneath it, so 

 there is a still greater difficulty in re- 

 moving it. Hence, by the time you 

 have lifted out a case of sections, you 

 have pretty thoroughly roused the bees 

 and spent a good many minutes of valu- 

 able time. This difficulty of examin- 

 ing the sections when hung in cases, 

 would, with me, be a sufficient reason 

 for rejecting this method. 



But, secondly, there is another objec- 

 tion, equally strong. When you have 

 lifted out your case of sections and find 

 some of the sections filled and sealed, 

 you want to remove these and replace 

 them with new ones. As soon, now, as 

 you attempt to remove these filled ones, 

 you disturb others only partly filled, and 

 you find yourself in the midst of a diffi- 

 cult and perplexing job, which requires 

 more time and patience than it is pro- 

 fitable to bestow. Speaking for myself 

 and from my own experience, I am sure 

 that this method of placing sections in 



IP 



Rack for Comb Honey. 



cases and hanging the cases in supers 

 is not the best method. If I were a 

 prophet I would hazard the prediction 

 that in a few years it will be entirely 

 given up, except when a small amount 

 of comb-honey is desired from the 

 brood-chamber. In this case there 

 seems no better method than to hang 

 the sections by the side of the brood 

 combs. 



The third method of placing the sec- 

 tions is to have a rack made for hold- 

 ing them, which sits closely over the 

 tops of the frames, and holds the sec- 

 tions firmly in place; but by the re- 

 moval of a wedge, allows the sections 

 to be easily moved, and the filled ones 

 to be taken out and replaced by others. 

 By this method, when the sections are 

 once in place in the rack, and the end 

 sections in each row glassed, the rack can 

 be instantly set over the frames, and 

 there are then as many tight compart- 

 ments for surplus honey as there are 

 rows of sections, and these compart- 

 ments come immediately above the 



