1904 

 as to have 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



coutiuuous forming ol" 

 acid, probably every two or tiiree days 

 for 10 or 15 days would, be right. The 

 strength of solution to be used would 

 depend on the weather and the amount 

 of ventilation given, but I would sug- 

 gest that a 10 or 20 per cent, solution 

 be used. Ten per cent would be best 

 to begin with. Ask a good physician 

 to get the solution for you, then you 

 will get what you ox-der. Get a 40 per 

 cent solution and reduce it by adding 

 water. The solution should be handled 

 with care. Any good physician can 

 give you further information as to 

 how to handle it. 



There are such things as disease 

 germs of animal life but they belong- 

 to a different family. All bacteria, 

 ferments and fungi are of vegetable 

 life and should be treated as plants. 

 They neither live nor die from the 

 same causes as animals. Some prep- 

 arations will kill both animal and veg- 

 etable life but usually not from the 

 same cause or in the same way. 



Williamsfield. 111.. Feb. 1. 1904. 



♦-•-♦ 



SECTIONAL HIVES. 



efficiency 

 chamber 



As to Their Influence Upon the Strength of Colo- 

 nies, etc. A Friendly Criticism of Mr. McNears 

 Position in the Matter. 



By E. F. Atwater. 



ITH the added experience of 

 another honey -harvest I 

 reaffirm laiy belief in the 

 of large non-sectional brood- 

 hives," says W. W. McNeil 

 in October Bee-Keeper. 



Right you are, for many localities, 

 Mr. McNeal, about the large hives, but 

 hold on, that "non-sectional" part I am 

 not so sure about. 



"Repeated failure of this hive (sec- 

 tional) to give that numerical strength 

 of colony early in the season that is so 

 necessary to success." How, oh, how 

 did it happen so? My sectional brood 

 chnmbers do not "fail" here. 



In fact there is less waste space in 

 the Heddon sectional hive than in the 

 standard L. However, waste space at 

 ends of frames has little to do with it, 

 one way or another. The vital point is 

 in the amount of waste space between 

 the combs in one case and the set of 



51 



combs above or below. This must be 

 reduced to a minimum to secure the 

 best results. 



Mr. McNeal, tell us please, the exact 

 thickness of the top-bars in your 

 sectional hives and the exact thick- 

 ness of the bottom bars. Also were 

 your combs built down to the bot- 

 tom bars? With thick top bars, combs 

 not built down to bottom bars, 

 and rather thick bottom bars I should 

 expect bad results. I fail to see 

 where "climatic condition" or "floral 

 surroundings" have anything to do 

 with the case. 



.T. B. Hall uses the sectional hive in 

 Ontario, L. Stachelhausen uses it in 

 Texas, 



"Recourse to the sugar barrel is the 

 real life of the method." How so? It 

 is not so with me. 



In extracting our thick, gummy 

 honey, new combs, full depth, built on 

 foundation are often torn and dam- 

 aged, while the shallow combs are un- 

 harmed. Then what perfect combs we 

 get in the shallow frames, every cell 

 available for worker brood, and no 

 sagging 



"The big colonies in the big hives 

 are able to take care of themselves to 

 such an extent that the real need of 

 handling the brood combs is reduced 

 to a minimum." 



True, again, and .lust as true of my 

 big colonies in my big sectional brood 

 chamlier hives, and when I do want to 

 know the exact condition of my colo- 

 nies how handy it is to pi-y apart the 

 sections of the brood nest, and see at 

 a glance the exact condition. How- 

 ever, I use hundreds of L hives, con- 

 .iointly with the sectional hives, for I 

 doubt that it would pay to change for 

 extracting alone. I shall use no more 

 clo,sed-end frames in extracting hives. 



I see some very decided advantages 

 if? the use of sectional hives, and some 

 disadvantages, but the failure to pro- 

 duce strong colonies in them is not one 

 of the disadvantages. The shallow 

 cases are adapted to a great many sim- 

 ple .systems of management, biit net 

 so with the deep hives. 



I fear that in a locality where foul 

 brood is prevalent, the shallow cases 

 Avould be objectionable, owing to the 

 time required to make a thorough ex- 

 amination of each comb. 



Boise, Idaho, Dec. 7, 1903. 



