128 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Feb. 15. 



by the different construction of the top and 

 bottom bars, the proportionate depth has some- 

 thing to do with it. The bees in building a 

 comb are inclined to stop the downward prog- 

 ress before attaching to the bottom-bars, leav- 

 ing a spac or passage between the bar and 

 the comb. They evidently do this instinctive- 

 ly. Look into any box hive, and you never 

 find the combs attached to the hive bottom 

 unless the combs have settled after construc- 

 tion, causing them to rest on the bottcm, when 

 of course they would fasten, as they do all 

 surfaces that touch. Again, look into any 

 brood- chamber in which the combs h ive never 

 been tiered up above another set, and but few 

 are attached to the bottom-bars. Not only are 

 they not attached to the bottoms, but almost 

 invariably are the corners rounded more or 

 less. Now apply this to sections. Suppose a 

 section were only two inches deep, do you not 

 at once comprehend that, if a space is left be- 

 tween the bottom-bar and the comb, and the 

 corners rounded, there could be but little more 

 than one inch of the comb edge attached to 

 the uprights ? Now increase the depth of the 

 section, and every bit of the increased depth 

 will be attached. The deeper the section, then, 

 the greater the proportion of the comb that is 

 attached to the wo id. This is another reason 

 why I want my section d< eper. 



I think I hear some one — may he Doolittle 

 will do it — say that the deeper section will not 

 be finished as quickly as the shallow one. 

 Let us reason a little on that. Any one who 

 has ever observed comb-building knows that 

 combs always progress downward much faster 

 than sidewise. Hive a swarm on starters in an 

 L. frame, and, if a small swarm, a comb will 

 be started down, and reach the bi ttom-bar 

 about in the proportion of 5 or 6 inches wide 

 to 8 in depth. The universal rule is that in 

 comb-building the downward progress exceeds 

 the sidewise in a proportion of about 3 to 2. 



If, then, comb-construction goes on in this 

 way, a section that is as wide as deep will be 

 finished down the center before it is at the 

 outer edges. This will be made plain by look- 

 ing at combs in all stages of progress. 



Has not ever)- apiarist who has used the L. 

 frame, or any long and shallow one, noticed 

 how slow were the ends and lower corners in 

 being filled and finished ? The same thing can 

 be st en in the working of full sheets of foun- 

 dation in either brood frames or sections, the 

 work progressing much in the form of one's 

 hand when suspended with the fingers down- 

 ward. 



It is quite evident, then, that a section, or 

 brood-frame either, in which the width and 

 depth are in proportion of 2 to 3, will be filled 

 with comb and finished quicker than when the 

 width is equal to or greater than the depth; 

 the greater the width in proportion, the more 

 uneven the work. So true is this that it be- 

 comes a source of much aggravation in get- 

 ting combs well built out to the ends of L. 

 frames, especially with weak or moderate- 

 strength colonies in full-sized chambers. I 

 say this after having used brood-frames rang- 

 ing in size from 4l 4 deep and 17 long (the L. 

 frame being the longest I have used) to 11 in 



width and 14 deep, and many intermediate 

 sizes. Also sections 5^x6^, 5x6, 4x5, and 

 4^x4"^. Some of these were used the short 

 way up and down. 



Because of this feature of comb-building, 

 i. e., that they build downward more rapidly 

 than sidewise, a section or frame slightly deep- 

 er than wide will be finished as promptly as 

 one of same capacity as wide or wider than 

 deep. More than this, the deep and narrow 

 section or frame will be better attached and 

 finished at the sides. A section 4^x4 ! 4 with 

 the comb attached to the top and both sides 

 clear down, gives, in round numbers, 12^ 

 inches of attachment, while a 4x5 similarly 

 attached to 3 sides, gives an attachment of 14 

 inches. A 4^x4^ section equals 18^ square 

 inches, and 4x5 equals '20 square inches. Thus 

 the 4 "4'x4 % section has nearly 2 square inches 

 less comb than the 4x5, and 1 % inches less at- 

 tachment, and % inch more detached comb, 

 premising, of course, that neither is attached 

 to the bottom. 



Considering, then, the better attachment 

 and better finish of comb, I prefer a 4x5 sec- 

 tion. Having a section so deep, and the super 

 4 sections long. I can have my brood-chamber 

 only 16 inches long, and that is why in a for- 

 mer article I spoke of this length of hive. A 

 close-fitting closed-end frame 5x16, and a 4x5 

 section, will both work in the same chamber ; 

 thus a super and brood-chamber part may be 

 identical and used for either, save in the inside 

 furniture. 



PLAIN SECTIONS A SUCCESS. 



Better Filling and Higher Prices. 



by I. A. WOO IX. 



I have been reading with much interest the 

 aiticles pro and con relative to the new fence 

 and plain sections as sent out by The A. I. 

 Root Co last season and have concluded to 

 give our experience and opinion relative to 

 them. 



We were among the unfortunate ones who 

 were a little too late in placing their orders 

 for supplies last season, and, consequently, 

 we did not get our first installment of the new 

 fixtures until late in June, and at a time when 

 all our hives were provided with the old-style 

 sections; but as fast as they were filled we re- 

 placed them with the new plain sections and 

 fence separators. These were put on too late 

 to get a fair trial, for our white -honey season 

 was then nearly over, and we had no buck- 

 wheat or other fall honey on account of a 

 drouth that prevailed in our particular local- 

 ity at that season. However, we received four 

 or five well-filled cases of basswood honey in 

 the new sections ; and to say that they were 

 nice would be putting it lightly. It was a real 

 pleasure to open those crates of honey and 

 note the difference between them and the old- 

 style section in regard to freedom from pro- 

 polis and consequent ease of cleaning. With 

 the old-style open-top section we noticed that 

 the bees always stuck a wad of glue at the 

 point where the slot came in contact with the 



