1888 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



43 



a nucleus occupying- the central part of two combs. 

 Place brood-frames filled with foundation, at the 

 side of these combs. The cluster of bees will occu- 

 py the central part of the space between the first 

 sheet of foundation and the comb, but perhaps will 

 not extend to the edge of the sheet at any point. 

 They may draw out and All the cells on the side 

 next to them, but they will never pass into the next 

 space to work the other side until the cluster ex- 

 pands to some point where they can pass through 

 or around the sheet without leaving the cluster. 

 Now, if a hole is made through the center of the 

 sheet they will not hesitate to occupy and work the 

 other side. Other conditions being the same, the 

 more direct the communication with the main 

 cluster, the sooner will the other side be occupied 

 and worked. 



If the nucleus could be so arranged that work 

 would progress in the direction of the combs in- 

 stead of across them, there would be a great advan- 

 tage, as there would then be no inducement for the 

 bees to favor one side. Fortunately we can ar- 

 range our section boxes in this way: 



By using- open end sections, and by getting the 

 bees started in one •' cross row," by using empty 

 comb in that row the work will progress from this 

 row to the ends of the case in the most natural 

 way. Since adopting- this method I have had no 

 trouble at all from one-sided sections. 



Several years ago T used nOOO sections with open- 

 ings so narrow that l)ces could not puss between 

 the outside row and the side of the case. I now 

 make the slots I4 inch deep, or V2 inch between two 

 sections. Some of these outside sections would be 

 filled and sealed on the inside, but there would not 

 be a cell on the other side. Jn fact, the side walls 

 of the foundation would often be all removed by 

 the bees, leaving the septum scraped smooth and 

 thin. The other sections in the case would be well 

 filled. The foundation used was made on the Giveii 

 press, runninj? about 10 square feet to the pound. 

 The sheets were cut 414x41.1, and were fastened to 

 the sections by pressure, on all four sides. The 

 corners of the sheets were first clipped off enough 

 to avoid wrinkling. One corner was cut away 

 enough to leave a small passage for the bees. This 

 opening was the only one leading to the outer side 

 of these outside sections, and I am satisfied that is- 

 olation was the only cause of their not being filled 

 on that side. As the foundation was securely fas- 

 tened to all sides of the section, there was no bend- 

 ing to one side, such as Dr. Miller mentions. I have 

 found, Avith him, that starters l'/2 inches wide or 

 less will give straighter combs, and of more uni- 

 form thickness, than full-sized sheets. The reason 

 seems apparent to me. The bees on the opposite 

 sides can communicate more freely with each oth- 

 er, and thus avoid misunderstandings (?): for how 

 arc the bees on one side of a large sheet to know 

 how deep are the cells on the opposite side? 



WHV COMBS ARE SOMETIMES BUILT BETWEEN THE 

 ST.AHTERS. 



I have not had experience in this, and may be 

 mistaken; but I am inclined to think the trouble 

 comes about in this way: When honey is coming in 

 rapidly, the few starters that are found within the 

 limits of the cluster can not be drawn out fast 

 enough to receive all the honey. More wax-work- 

 ers must be employed than can work to advantage 

 on the foundation, so other combs are started be- 

 tween; but when honey comes in slowly, this extra 



comb-building force is unnecessary; and when a 

 limited comb-building force is employed, it seems 

 necessary for them to confine that force to a limited 

 surface, according to comb-building economy, 

 hence an occasional neglected side. My suggestions 

 to avoid " one-sided " comb honey may be summed 

 up as follows: 1. Use open-end sections, to allow 

 comb-building to progress naturally in the direc- 

 tion the combs run. 3. Have direct communication 

 between both sides of each section and the brood- 

 chamber below. :>. Let there be free passage be- 

 tween the outside rows of sections and the sides of 

 the case. 4. Use clean white comb in all of the sec- 

 tions in one of the central rows running across the 

 case from side to side. The observance of these 

 points will enable us to produce " well-balanced " 

 comb honey; at least, that is according to the ex- 

 perience of Oliver Foster, 370, 3.50. 

 Mt. Vernon, Iowa. 



Friend F., I have noticed wliat you say in 

 regard to nuclei or weak colonies extending 

 the cluster, and getting around the combs 

 where there are no winter-passages, as they 

 have been sometimes called ; and as you 

 state it, it does seem as though there ought 

 to be an advantage in having sections open 

 on all sides. In fact, I did not consider, un- 

 til you just now brought out the truth of it, 

 that our ordinary way of making sections, 

 with the sides close-fitting, partitions off 

 the hive completely from top to bottom ; 

 that is, where sections are used in the wide 

 frames there is no opening from front to 

 rear, except under the wide frames. In 

 view of this, it seems to me that your sug- 

 gestion must be a good one ; and I am in- 

 clined to think that question No. 25 was ask 

 ed mostly of those who had not had much 

 practicitl experience in using sections with 

 open sides. 



NUMBER OF COLONIES PER SQUARE 

 MILE. 



DK. Mir.LER CONSIDERS THE SUB.JECT. 



K. J. W. PORTER in Gleanings, p. 816, Nov., 

 1887, says, " Somewhere we have read that 

 in Europe as manj- as 6000 colonies have 

 been kept on one square mile of land." 

 Every now and then this statement is re- 

 ferred to. It is misleading because not understood. 

 If I am not mistaken, the German mile here refer- 

 red to is equal to six of our miles, making the Ger- 

 man ,«quni'e mile eiiunl to 06 of okc square miles. I 

 had the impression that 3000 instead of 6000 was the 

 number given, but Mr. Porter is as likely to be right 

 as I. In any case, the story has been running a 

 good many years without any reinforcements by 

 recent facts, and I should receive the 6000 with 

 some grains of allowance. That would be 166 for 

 one of our square miles— a number which might be 

 supported on a square mile possibly, if the coast 

 were clear on all sides; but I much doubt if 36 such 

 square miles in a s(]uare block could each support 

 166 colonies. If 30i)0 is taken as the number, instead 

 of 6000, that would make .5.5 colonies for one'of our 

 square miles. Mr. Porter starts an interesting 

 query as to the number of colonies supported on a 

 square mile, and intimates a doubt as to 1000 being 

 on a square mile in America, even if 350 of them 

 stand on each of the four corners. 



