June, 1920 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



331 



ception, we fail to see one single point in 

 favor of the aluminum comb in connection 

 with foul brood. Colonies on aluminum 

 combs become infected with foul brood just 

 as readily as do those on wax combs; in 

 fact, more readily in some localities because 

 weaker. Moreover, in case a colony becomes 

 infected, one could not cure foul brood with 

 any more certainty nor in one second less 

 of time with aluminum combs than with 

 regular drawn combs. Some, we understand, 

 have shaken diseased colonies from the in- 

 fected combs immediately upon a set of 

 aluminum combs expecting thus to cure 

 them of disease. We wish to caution our 

 readers that such a practice is not one whit 

 safer than to shake the colony upon drawn 

 combs, for, in either case, the bees being 

 gorged with diseased honey store part of it 

 in the cells. If there is a honey flow at the 

 time, the contaminated honey may be cover- 

 ed ui> with new honey for months so that the 

 colony appears to be cured; but, as soon as 

 the honey gets low in the cells, the colony 

 may be expected to show evidence of the 

 disease. 



In regard to the possibility of sterilizing 

 the combs, rewaxing and returning to the 

 bees, we can only give our own experience. 

 Last fall in an apiary of about 60 colonies, 

 two became infected with foul brood. One 

 of these two was on aluminum combs. We 

 secured these combs and observing from the 

 article in the March number of the Ameri- 

 can magazine that they could be sterilized 

 in hot wjtter without hurting them in the 

 least we decided to boil them. We boiled 

 them for 10 or 15 minutes, but this we 

 found was not long enough, so we just kept 

 on. After three hours we found the cocoons, 

 and most of the decayed matter stayed right 

 in the cells and they certainly were far 

 from clean and surely could not be rewaxed 

 in that condition. Steam at high pressure 

 blown on the combs removes most of the 

 cocoons in time, but not all. It is proba- 

 bly true, however, that the disease germs 

 are killed by the boiling or steaming, and 

 the bees can perhaps clean out the cocoons 

 and decayed matter if given enough time. 

 But in handling over the combs we note 

 some of the edges of the cells were bent. 

 These the bees certainly cannot straighten. 



We also have tried aluminum combs in a 

 number of our hives, and have made other 

 observations in regard to the combs. In 

 some colonies we used aluminum combs en- 

 tirely, in others some aluminum and some 

 drawn comb. Our experience has been far 

 from satisfactory. Except during a few 

 weeks in summer when conditions are most 

 favorable, the queens do not do as good 

 work as in the drawn combs, but lay their 

 eggs very scatteringly. 



Whenever we placed an aluminum comb 

 in the middle of the brood-chamber with 

 drawn combs at the sides we found the 

 queen would have brood in the drawn combs 

 at both sides of the metal comb, but not a 

 single egg in the metal comb. Some of our 



colonies refused to liave anything to do 

 with the metal combs as long as there were 

 enougli drawn combs in the hive. 



All the colonies we supplied with alumi- 

 num combs dwindled, the old bees dying 

 faster than the young ones could come on 

 to take their places. Two colonies that were 

 put on metal combs only, were fed quite 

 continuously thruout the summer in order 

 to see how they would build up. The great- 

 est amount of brood one colony had at any 

 time was four frames and the other colony 

 only three, and by winter the colonies had 

 dwindled so greatly that they were quite 

 worthless. In the spring and fall the combs 

 are too cold, and the brood is chilled. That 

 is why all the colonies on aluminum combs 

 dwindled as they did. To look at a colony 

 when combs are in this condition with at 

 least half of the brood dead is surely dis- 

 couraging. 



Not only did the combs prove poor for the 

 rearing of brood, but also the bees refused 

 to store syrup in them when the weather was 

 a little cool in the fall, altho they stored 

 readily in the drawn combs. Also when cool 

 the bees refused to cluster on these combs, 

 if the}^ possessed enough drawn combs to ac- 

 commodate them. 



In regard to wintering on these combs, we 

 have had a few unfavorable reports, such 

 as that of J. L. Byer in this issue. 



We regret that we are unable to tell from 

 our own experience how the bees winter on 

 metal combs, but we are going to tell why 

 we can throw no light on the subject. It is 

 simply because the brood died, and the colo- 

 nies dwindled to such an extent that they 

 were too small and worthless to winter. 



For some time we have been feeling a lit- 

 tle doubtful concerning the value of these 

 combs, but since some good beekeepers have 

 appeared to like them, we thought perhaps 

 the difference might be due to the difference 

 in climate, and perhaps in our locality it was 

 too cool. Lately, however, we have learn- 

 ed of some who are objecting to the combs 

 because the metal gets too hot. One such 

 person, W. S. Pender, editor of The Aus- 

 tralian Beekeeper, who recently spent a few 

 days in Medina, said that he had no use for 

 metal combs in his locality since they fre- 

 ({uently have temperatures of from 100 to 

 120 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade, and 

 he felt the metal would become so hot as to 

 cook the brood, just as it has done in some 

 parts of our own country. 



A comb that is to be universally success- 

 ful, we believe, should be composed of ma- 

 terial that does not subject the brood to 

 such sudden changes of temperature as does 

 aluminum. 



Perhaps, as a few of our correspondents 

 have suggested, some of our readers may 

 be willing to give us the value of their ex- 

 perience with these metal combs. It certain- 

 ly would be worth while to settle definitely 

 whetlicr the aluminum combs are good or 

 bad, or good in some localities and no good 

 in others. 



