576 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 1. 



Now, when it comes to eating honey I will 

 take natural comb before that on foundation, 

 and the clear honey without any wax before 

 either of the others. More than this, I find a 

 whole lot of customers whose likes in the mat- 

 ter are just like mine, as to taking it with or 

 without the wax; they are not versed on the 

 foundation question. 



As to the "drawn foundation," my own 

 experience with last summer's limited test 

 shows it to be no more objectionable than the 

 old-style foundation. It "tasted" no more 

 waxy. It looked just as nice. The bees took 

 kindly to it, putting honey in it within 24 

 hours after putting it on the hive. I did not 

 watch to see if it was sealed first, but know it 

 was not the last to be sealed. Evidently my 

 bees used it just as they would a p'ece of 

 natural comb equally developed. The flow 

 was quite moderate, comb-building a little 

 tedious, weather rather hot, and general con- 

 ditions favorable to excellent super work had 

 the flow been more free. 



I have seen one sample of the "drawn 

 foundation " from another part of the State 

 where the yield was better than mine. I do 

 not know the conditions at the time it was 

 put on; but there was a lot of extra wax plas- 

 tered on for some reason. The honey was 

 removed from the comb, and cells broken off 

 to the foundation. The party who tried it 

 was disgusted with it. 



Super 3 was on a strong colony that was 

 doing good work. The finish was good, con- 

 sidering the very moderate flow in which it 

 was worked. This super I have sent to The A. 

 I. Root Company just as it left the hive, to- 

 gether with samples of the sections from the 

 other two supers. Notice that there were 

 three supers on three colonies of different 

 strength, but all worked at the same time. 



Here are the numbers of the sections, and 

 what they contained when put on the hives; 

 and by referring to the maps you can see the 

 position occupied All starters less than full 

 sheets were put in so that the short way was 

 up and down, the most of them running clear 

 across the top of the section. No. 1, starter 

 of Weed extra thin, l>^x2; 2, Weed thin, l>4x 

 2; 3, Weed light brood, 2x2; 4, Weed medium 

 brood, 2x2; 5, 6, 7, 8, full sheets of "drawn 

 foundation" (the new deep-cell product); 9 

 to 32, my own make of extra-thin foundation, 

 3>^ long by 2 inches deep. 



Super 2. Numbers 37, 43, and 49, full 

 sheets of "drawn foundation;" 46 and 52, 

 full sheets of heavy brood. All other num- 

 bers in this super, half-sheets of extra thin. 



Super 3. Numbers 54, 55, 56, 58, 59, 60, 61, 

 70, 74, 75, 76, 77, 80, and 81, half-depth sheets, 

 extra thin, with bottom starters; 57, 64, and 

 78, "drawn foundation;" 63, 66, 67, 73, very 

 narrow top and bottom starters ; 72 and 79, 

 full sheets of heavy brood foundation ; 69, 

 drone comb starters, top and bottom. This is 

 the super I have sent to Root just as it left the 

 hive; and if he thoroughly examines it he can 

 tell you how the different grades compare as 

 worked in it. 



Loveland, Colo. 



[I will explain to our readers that this is the 



last of a number of articles written by R. C. 

 Aikin last winter; but on account of its being 

 at the tail end of the series it is a little belated. 



I have spent half a day in looking over the 

 honey ; but, unfortunately, the maps and 

 figures do not seem to tally in case of the 

 drawn foundation, and I was therefore able to 

 prove nothing ; but as we know that the flat- 

 base drawn foundation of last season, which 

 friend Aikin is writing about, had thickened 

 bases in some instances, at least, we will 

 assume that at least a part of what he refers 

 to came under the same objection. Drawn 

 foundation with deep walls and flat bases is a 

 thing of the past. Mr. Weed can now make 

 in its stead drawn foundation with walls Y^ 

 inch deep, and natural bases, which, as I have 

 said before, seems to eliminate the objection 

 of "gob," or thick midrib. 



Super No. 3 contained, according to the last 

 paragraph of friend Aikin 's article, a series of 

 sections containing half-depth sheets with 

 bottom starters ; also another series with nar- 

 row starters top and bottom. In the earlier 

 part of the article Mr. A. thinks no one could 

 tell the difference. As he sent the crate on to 

 us just as it came from the hive, and as the 

 sections stuck considerably in pulling them 

 out, I concluded he had not previously exam- 

 ined it. I found that all of the sections where 

 the greatest amount of foundation was used 

 looked more even than the rest. There were 

 two or three sections of the other lot (mere 

 starters top and bottom) that looked about as 

 well; but there were also some among them 

 that had almost entirely dro7ie comb ; and 

 speaking of such I can not see how any one 

 can think it looks as neat and pretty as sec- 

 tions all of worker. To me it has a coarse, 

 rough appearance. I have asked several in 

 our office, without first giving them my pref- 

 erence, and they seem to be of the same opin- 

 ion. I do not mean to say that nice combs 

 can not be secured with starters only at top 

 and bottom; but drone comb is quite liable to 

 be built. Some little time ago, by means of 

 plaster casts I showed that natural-built drone 

 comb is more gobby by considerable than 

 worker comb off from ordinary thin founda- 

 tion. I do not, therefore, see that friend 

 Aikin would eliminate the trouble of thick 

 midrib by using a scant amount of foundation. 

 If the bees would always build worker comb, 

 as they will do a good many times, then I 

 grant that the difference will be in favor of 

 the scant use of foundation. 



There is one point that has, perhaps, never 

 been thought of sufficiently. Mr. Danzen- 

 baker is very particular, Mr. Weed says, to 

 have full sheets of foundation, and those 

 sheets must reach clear out to the sides — that 

 is, come actually in contact with the wood. If 

 it reaches to within only Y^ inch, the bees will 

 be pretty sure to make bee-spaces, or pop- 

 holes. This is one secret of his getting such 

 beautiful honey, Mr. Weed believes. 



A good many other bee-keepers use full 

 sheets, but there is almost a bee-space around 

 the side and edges; and this, according to Mr. 

 Weed, does not give the perfect slab of honey, 

 which we so much admire. — Ed.] 



