1905 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1191 



tional comb on one side would crowd them 

 too much. 



This double tier (our illustration shows 

 three of them at the right) , consists of two 

 single frames clamped together with open 

 sides toward one another; but as I am a 

 little cranky on the separator question, be- 

 lieving that desirable sections in regard to 

 shape and weight can be produced between 

 separators only, loose separators are placed 

 between. The frame on the left has the 

 lower one set in its place. Both are held in 

 position vertically by little blocks nailed to 

 the end- bar, and the little galvanized iron 

 hooks, with a couple of §-inch wire nails for 

 hinge and catch, answer the double purpose 

 of keeping the separators from moving end- 

 wise and holding the frames together. 



The starters I used in this case are about 

 2 in. wide and the full width of the sections 



out and enlarged starters with more or less 

 honey that will make extra-fine bait-combs 

 another year. .""^J^ -i 



The secret of making bees work in sec- 

 tions I have not discovered yet. As long as 

 I kept these colonies supplied with empty 

 combs by exchanging those where capping 

 had started with empty ones, they would do 

 very little in the sections; and if I tried 

 to crowd them into the sections for want 

 of empty combs they would make prepara- 

 tions for swarming and do so. 



But I am by no means discouraged. I 

 shall continue my investigations with more 

 thoroughness, if possible, next year. We 

 had a very moderate honey-flow this past 

 season. At no time did honey come in fast 

 enough to induce extensive comb-building, 

 although quite a little of it was stored all 

 along in empty combs. During a more 



FIG. 2.— COMB AND EXTRACTED HONEY IN THE SAME SUPER. 



in length. This is a larger piece than I gen- 

 erally use, for I believe, or, rather, I am 

 convinced, that the less foundation the bet- 

 ter the honey; but I meant to be liberal with 

 my bees and give them all the chance I 

 could conscientiously. 



After making these preparations and 

 spending my time watching these colonies 

 all through the season, I can not say that I 

 am very much elated over the results of my 

 investigations. I have taken a very few 

 finished sections from some of the hives, 

 quite a quantity of unfinished honey that 

 would pass in Texas or Kansas, if cut out, 

 as chunk honey, and a fair amount of drawn- 



bountiful honey-flow bees would undoubted- 

 ly act very differently. 



There is another point which I intend to 

 investigate quite closely. As the illustra- 

 tion plainly shows, I use solid separators; 

 and the only connection between the differ- 

 ent rows of sections, as well as between the 

 sections and extracting-combs, are the bee- 

 ways above and below each row of sections. 

 This secludedness may not suit the bees as 

 well as the open space between the combs, 

 and may be the reason for their not taking 

 to the sections more readily. I expect to 

 rig up a fair portion of my section- holders 

 with open separators, either perforated or 



