GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Five different styles of foundation starters. 



fine comb honey — at least most of it was 

 fine. The only bad thing about it was that 

 every now and then a badly bulged or one- 

 sided section was slipped in along with the 

 good honey. Both of these sections were 

 taken from the same shipping-case. Where- 

 ever this is done the surface of the comb of 

 the bulged section is nearly always bruised 

 as well as the section next to it. Bulged 

 comb honey ought to be considered "unship- 

 able;'' at any rate, it should never be ship- 

 ped with good honey. Aside from the bad 

 practice of injudicious gxading, shipping 

 honey like this with good honey always 

 makes trouble. The one mistake spoils two 

 sections. 



If shipping bulged comb honey were a 

 rare practice, calling attention to the matter 

 in this way would be foolish; but instead of 

 being rare it is, unfortunately, very com- 

 mon. In most cases I suppose it is not in- 

 tentional ; but, like all other unintentional 

 mistakes, bad results follow just the same. 



WHAT IS THE BEST-SHAPED STARTER? 



The third illustration shows five sections 

 fitted with foundation — from starter to full 

 sheets — and also a top and bottom starter. 

 Every form of starter there represented has 



its own advocate ; but personally I feel that 

 the last plan, that is, the double starter, as 

 originated and recommended by Dr. Miller, 

 has the most points in its favor. There is 

 no question but that more producers are us- 

 ing double starters every year. It takes 

 more time to put in the extra starters, it is 

 true; but it is time well spent. Many do 

 not use the right sizes. In giving the right 

 sizes I can do no better than to take Dr. 

 Miller's words from " Fifty Years Among 

 the Bees." Speaking of super foundation, 

 3% X I5I/2, he says, *' This size is just right 

 to make four top starters Sy^ inches deep 

 and four bottom starters % inch deep. 

 Occasionally a bottom starter of this dejDth 

 makes trouble by lopping over, but not 

 often, and a shallower starter is more like- 

 ly to be gnawed down by the bees. More- 

 over, I think the deeper the bottom starter 

 the more properly the tAvo starters are 

 fastened together. 



With two starters of this size, and a 41^4 

 section, there should be a space of Ys inch 

 between the two if it Avere not that the space 

 is made larger by the melting-aAvay of the 

 edges of the starters Avhen they are put in 

 the section. 



The result of leaving old sealed honey in bait sections. The finished product is patchy and discolored. 

 The photograph does not tell the whole story, for the old honey looked its age and more too. Sealed 

 honey In bait combs should be uncapped, and the comb shaved down a.uite thin. 



