1898 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



381 



I assume, of course, that the matter of con- 

 venieuce in laying hold of the crate insures 

 almost to a certainty that it will be picked up, 

 carried, and set down right. If this be true, 

 the probabilities are that, in the majority of 

 cases, it will be set in a car with sections par- 

 allel with the car, because a man will walk 

 toward the car end and set it down when look- 

 ing in that direction. Thus, while it does not 

 insure against setting sections side foremost, 

 it very much lessens such danger. 



I have not shipped ver}' much in this way, 

 though what I have shipped has gone safely. 

 I have always worked the home market large- 

 ly, and ship but little by local freight. 



The question of cost naturally comes up. 

 The crates can be made very cheaply, and also 

 very light. The poorest grades of lumber can 

 be put into them. Those who are shipping 

 small lots of sections to retailers can use these 

 crates over and over again as egg-cases, milk- 

 cans, and such are used, having them returned 

 at a trifling cost. I am not prepared to say- 

 just what such charges are, for I have not had 

 much experience in that line, though I think 

 for short distances the usual charge is 5 cents 

 each, probably less where quite a number are 

 returned, or possibly where a number are in 

 one shipment, at a minimum charge of 25 cts. 



POOR ATTACHMENTS OF COMB TO THE SEC- 

 TION, AND WHY. 



There is some question, perhaps, as to the 

 real need of such a crate. I believe it possible 

 to produce section honey so perfect as to ship 

 without such care-taking. If the comb be 

 attached firmly to two sides of the section, it 

 requires a hard rap to loosen it from the wood. 

 Two causes — possibly three — give poor attach- 

 ment to the sections. The two principal causes 

 are slow flows and weak colonies. Even strong 

 colonies will do poor work in slow flows. 

 Then, too, if the partly filled super be raised 

 and the empty put beneath, one may give too 

 much room, and so have none of the sections 

 properly filled. If the colony starts a super, 

 and the flow stops before it is finished, the 

 attachment will be weak. One of the most 

 important points to be guarded in producing 

 section honey is to have no more sections on 

 than can be properly worked. A close watch 

 should be kept on the strength of the flow ; 

 and, if weak, add room at the top by putting 

 the fresh super over, not under, the full one. 



Full sheets of foundation are apt to induce 

 the colony to start more comb than they can 

 properly fill, and, if so, will not build proper- 

 ly to the wood. Could I judge accurately, and 

 know just how many sections would be need- 

 ed, I should want the last ones on to have nar- 

 row starters only. The bee is loath to start 

 new comb when there seems little prospect of 

 its being filled; so if the flow is "tapering 

 off" they prefer to edge in around combs al- 

 ready built and filled ; so in such a case, with 

 starters only to work on, they were led to fill 

 out plump to the wood of the section. Full 

 sheets in the sections act on the same prin- 

 ciple as ready-made comb, though in a less 

 degree. 



One of the very best things to insure attach- 



ment at the bottom is a bottom starter. I no- 

 tice occasionally some one condemns them ; 

 but I have not seen any thing in print yet that 

 I counted as a reasonable argument or any 

 thing like conclusive evidence against them. 

 I think in this journal, at least somewhere, I 

 saw some one objecting to them because the 

 bees built upward from them instead of going 

 to the top to begin. One or both of two things 

 are wrong in such a case ; the colony is too 

 weak to occupy the super, or the flow is too 

 light. Usually the former is the true cause of 

 the upward building. 



Some object because the starter falls over or 

 is gnawed out. I have very little trouble with 

 either. The starter should not be over ^ 

 high. I sometimes cut them about 3/^, then in 

 putting on with a hot plate a part is melted 

 off so that about ^4. inch is all that is left. A 

 quarter-inch is better than )4, because less 

 liable to lie down ; yet it is almost as sure to 

 cause attachment or building down to the 

 comb. From |s to % is high enough when the 

 starter is on, though the wider one is much 

 more easy to handle in putting on. I make no 

 pretense to having the top starter or sheet 

 come close down to the bottom one. The line 

 of wax on the bottom, even though but ^^ 

 high, seems all that is necessary to induce the 

 bees to join the comb down to it. 



A starter will seldom be cut out entirely 

 unless it falls over, and even then the waxy 

 line serves the purpose. If supers be left on 

 long, and no honey coming in, they will trim 

 down the starters quite frequently ; but the 

 fact that they will cut out more or less top 

 starters under such conditions proves the 

 weakness of the argument, I would not think 

 of leaving out bottom starters if the honey 

 were to be shipped. For one's own table, and 

 to some extent for home trade, the bottom 

 starter is useless ; but since it does not cost 

 much to put it on, a good plan is to put it 

 there and get a better-finished section. I know 

 it will do it. 



Come to my honey-room and I can show 

 you a large per cent of sections better attach- 

 ed at the bottom than at the sides. I have 

 even had some better attached at the bottom 

 than the top, caused by too few bees and too 

 little honey. I have now in my honey -room 

 sections that I believe would stand almost any 

 knocking about, almost to the point of break- 

 ing the case, except when the weather is very 

 cold. At least, I feel sure they would stand 

 all bumps in a freight-car coming against 

 them edgewise. Bottom starters are a £Ood 

 thing, and side starters would be a further im- 

 provement. 



Since writing the foregoing I have inter- 

 viewed our railroad agent about returning 

 shipping-cases. He says egg-cases are return- 

 ed by express at 5 cents each, and by freight 

 at fourth-class rate from point of shipment. 

 Between here and Denver the minimum 

 charge is 25 cents, no shipment being received 

 for less. The rate per 100 pounds is 27 cents, 

 so you see that I could have crates returned 

 from Denver at a cost of 25 cents for any 

 number up to almost a hundred pounds, a 

 hundred-pound shipment costing only 27 



