118 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



and the honey is less likely to be dam- 

 aged while being handled and trans- 

 ported. 



4. "Tier up "when the bees seem 

 to demand more room. If the sections 

 on the hive seem to be full of bees and 

 honey, add another set by raising the 

 first one and placing the new ones 

 under. 



0. Ordinarily, fifty-six sections are 

 as many as one colony can work in 

 to advantage. When more are needed, 

 it would be the best plan to remove 

 those filled with honey, and replace 

 with new ones. Then, again, the fin- 

 ished sections should be removed as 

 soon as filled, to preserve the white- 

 ness and beauty of the honey. 



6. One of the best indications that 

 a colony is ready to work in sections, 

 is when the bees begin to cluster out 

 at the entrance. I do not mean by 

 this that the bees must be outside by 

 the peck, but when a few are seen 

 there. When there is plenty of room 

 in the hive, the bees will not cluster 

 any on the outside. Sometimes, at 

 the beginning of the honey harvest 

 small knots maybe seen justabove the 

 entrance or on the alighting board : 

 then is the time to put the sections 

 on. Put on enough at that time to 

 cover the top of the frames, or one set , 

 of sections. Cover up warm, and at 

 night contract the entrance, as if the 

 weather is cool, the bees will desert 

 the sections at night, and the best 

 time for building comb is lost. Bees 

 make comb more rapidly during the 

 night than during the day. 



ANSWERS BY D. D*. MARSH. 



1. One that will fill about two- 

 thirds of the section. I prefer a V- 

 shape piece, so the bees can cluster 

 naturally all arouud it. Would not 

 have it too sharp-pointed, but about 

 an inch across the point, so it would 

 not curl out sidewise. Put them in 

 with Parker's machine. 



2. Have never yet used a " rever- 

 sible " section case ; but have no donbt 

 that is the "coming case. " 



3. Filling the section even full of 

 comb, looking better, weighing more, 

 and bearing handling better. 



4. Until they have so far tilled tlie 

 first set witli comb and honey that tlie 

 bees begin to be crowded for room; 

 tlven put on a second case under it, 

 and the bees will have fresh room, and 

 the first case will have ample time to 

 ripen and be capped. 



5. It depends altogether on the 



pasturage and the strength of the col- 

 ony. I think two tiers of cases ordin- 

 arily exhaust the advantages of 

 tiering up, because the top case would 

 be finished and ready to come off by 

 the time the bottom case was nearly 

 full. Ordinarily two such cases are 

 all any colony will fill in tliis locality. 

 6. When the first indication of new 

 white combs appears on the tops of the 

 frames. If the colony is vei-y strong 

 put them on a little earlier if you do 

 not wish the bees to get ahead of you 

 and cast a swarm before they go to 

 work in the sections. I prefer small 

 cases, so I can put on about fourteen 

 sections at first, and then after they 

 get to work, put on the other fourteen. 

 You can taper down better at the close 

 of the harvest, and get all the sections 

 finished up. 



ANSWERS BY J. H. MARTIN. 



1 I use a square piece, filling the 

 section to within a quarter of an inch 

 of the sides and bottom. This gives 

 me better results than a V-sliape. 1 

 fasten with rosin and beeswax. 



2. Have never used the reversible 

 section case. 



3. I think it would be an advantage 

 to reverse, to get the corners of all 

 sections uniformly filled. 



4. I allow the bees to nearly fill up 

 the sections before tiering up. 



5. It is about as far as it can be 

 carried to advantage if the colony is 

 allowed to swarm, but if the whole 

 force can be kept at home, another set 

 can be added to advantage, and if the 

 honey yield continues, another set. 



6. I find there is little gained in put- 

 ting sections on until the brood cham- 

 ber is crowded with bees, about June 

 1, in my locality, or if the season is 

 eai-ly, latter part of May. At that 

 time, a full set can be put on, and soon 

 be occupied by bees. 



ANSWERS BY A. E. MANUM. 



1. I use full sheets of foundation, 

 prefering it to small pieces of any 

 shape. I have experimented with 

 small pieces of various shapes, but 

 have now settled on pieces full size of 

 the section, and consider it of great 

 advantage to the bees. By the use of 

 full sheets of foundation, drone comb 

 is avoided in tlie sections, thus giving 

 the honey a much better apjjearance 

 than wlieu part drone and worker comb 

 is made. I fasten it in with melted 

 wax by using a machine of my own 

 invention. 



