776 



The flying at the entrance of any colony 

 indicated whether they needed more room. 

 If " hefting " at the back end of the hive 

 confirmed the entrance diagnosis, super 

 room was added in the form of a half-depth 

 extracting-super. If the colony showed 

 that it was not doing much, the brood-nest 

 was opened np and the frames examined. 

 A failing or missing queen was noted, and 

 the colony was put in condition to build up. 



The number of flying bees going into an 

 entrance of a beehive will determine pretty 

 accurately whether a colony needs more 

 room. If there are only a few bees the 

 colony may be weak. If there are only 

 one or two bees at the entrance the colony 

 needs an internal examination. One comb 

 will often show the cause and suggest the 

 remedy. Of course, one must not be con- 

 fused hy the playspells of bees. 



If bee disease is found an examination 

 of every comb is essential. 



There were scarcely half a dozen colonies 

 out of an apiai-y of some 80 odd Avhose 

 brood-nests had been examined the entire 

 season, and yet we believe no yard since 

 has ever received any better care. 



The ordinary beginner will not be able to 

 make these external examinations; but as 

 he grows in experience he will be able to 

 determine a good deal by the flight of the 

 bees at the entrances, and by hefting, as 

 already described. 



The late James Heddon placed a great 

 deal of emphasis on the possibility of 

 determining the condition of his shallow- 

 brood-chamber colonies without handling 

 frames. He urged that it was not neces- 

 sary to handle frames to any great extent; 

 that most of the work could be done by 

 looking up between the combs; and to a 

 great extent he was right. 



We venture to say that some of the most 

 extensive honey-producers today depend 

 largely on these external examinations in 

 order to save time. Mr. Cunningham is the 

 only one to make any specific mention of 

 it for some time. 



The Eating Quality of Comb Honey 

 Built from Starters or Full Sheets 



In this issue, one of our correspondents, 

 Mr. Friedman Greiner, page 793, while 

 preferring to use full sheets of foundation 

 in sections from a money-making point of 

 view, yet indorsing the sentiment of the 

 late W. Z. Hutchinson, thinks he would 

 prefer for his own eating combs naturally 

 built without foundation. 



Some years ago we conducted some quite 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



extensive experiments under the direction 

 of Mr. E. B. Weed, of Weed foundation 

 fame. We proved conclusively, or thought 

 we did at the time, that comb honey built 

 from a vei'y naiTow starter would actually 

 have more wax to the cubic inch of honey 

 than the same article built from a full sheet 

 of thin-super foundation. This was not a 

 mere guess, for it was tested out by Mr. 

 Weed by actual weighing. As a general 

 thing bees will build drone or store comb, 

 when sections are being built on the hive, if 

 they do not have full sheets of foundation 

 in the sections. 



Mr. Weed also discovered that even when 

 bees built all worker comb, without founda- 

 tion and with, the difference between the 

 two was so slight that it could not be de- 

 lected in eating. There are times, however, 

 when one comb will be softer and more 

 jjliable than another; and if one should 

 happen to get hold of a naturally built 

 comb and bite into it he would conclude 

 that it was certainly softer than combs that 

 at other times were built from full sheets of 

 foundation. 



This would be an interesting experiment 

 to try out on some field day. Sections should 

 be prepared in advance, built without foun- 

 dation and with full sheets. In the former 

 case it would be permissible to use a very 

 nari'ow starter in order to get the bees 

 started right. If both these sets of sections 

 when filled were exposed to the same tem- 

 perature for a few hours before being 

 eaten, we venture the prediction that the 

 committee, after eating one and then the 

 other, would not be able to tell one section 

 from another. 



The results of exhaustive experiments, 

 som.e years ago, and which have been giv- 

 en in several editions of the ABC and X 

 Y Z of Bee Culture, have convinced us that 

 it is not only good business policy to use 

 full sheets, but that the consumer is actual- 

 ly favored, because worker combs built 

 from thin sheets of foundation have less 

 midrib and less wax than the ordinary 

 drone comb without foundation. 



We suggest that, if Mr. Greiner will take 

 a piece of naturally built drone comb and a 

 piece of worker comb built from a full 

 sheet of thin foundation, and fill both with 

 plaster of Paris, he will find that, on hard- 

 ening, the cross-sections will show more 

 wax to the naked eye in the former than in 

 the worker comb built from thin super 

 foundation. We have in our office today 

 plaster-cast samples of both. In some of 

 the old editions of the ABC and X Y Z 

 of Bee Culture appear actual photos in 

 half-tones showing these easts. 



