52 



THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



Jan. 27i 



MR. LABBABEE 8 AN8WKB. 



I have never had any very great experience with leveled- 

 down combs, but have bad quite an experience with unfinlsht 

 sections, and I find those that are about an inch in thickness 

 the most desirable. 



The thickness of the comb in a 1%-lnch section with sep- 

 arators (which I always use) is about 1?^ Inches. If the 

 combs are leveled down to one Inch, the bees are obliged to 

 thicken the combs % of an Inch, or lengthen out the cells 

 3\16 on each side ; this is enough to cause white wax to be 

 put on the ends of the cells and also capt white. If the combs 

 are soiled in any way the stain will be covered up by the white 

 caps. 



I do not think It necessary to cut the cells down any more 

 than just enough to cause the bees to lengthen them a little. 

 If they are cut down more, in my opinion it simply makes un- 

 necessary work for the bees to draw them out agaiu. 



If the cells are left full depth after extracting, they will 

 not be capt as smooth nor as white as they would If cut down 

 a little. 



I think this explains why I said the combs should be cut 

 down to about one Inch. W. G. Larbabee. 



Addison Co., Vt. 



MR. DIBBEBN'S answer. 



Years ago I always used unfinlsht sections from one year 

 to another, but invariably In handling over the finisht sections 

 afterwards I could pick out all the sections having contained 

 unfinlsht comb, and they were always unsatisfactory. I tried 

 extracting all the honey from such sections, and having the 

 bees clean them up, but the result when again completed by 

 the bees was much the same. The combs would be rough, 

 unsightly, and many combs would bulge off the capping, show- 

 ing that thfi honey was souring. 



At one time, in my desperation, I advised bee-keepers to 

 extract the honey from all unfinlsht sections, cut out and melt 

 up the comb, and make kindling wood of the sections. This 

 policy, however, while overcoming my objections, lookt too 

 much like a wasteful proceeding, and then, too, these sec- 

 tions were so nice for " baits." 



Well, finally, I adopted the policy of destroying all sec- 

 tions and combs that were much soiled by prppolis, and clean- 

 ing up new ones containing white comb, and cutting down the 

 the cells with a thin, sharp knife, to about "-^ inch of the base. 

 This workt very well, and the bees built readily in them, and 

 the finisht comb was nice and smooth, and no tendency to the 

 honey souring appeared. This convinced me that it was In the 

 depth of the cells where the trouble lay. 



When Mr. Taylor brought out his comb-leveler I at once 

 adopted it as a much handier and neater operation, and it has 

 proven entirely satisfactory. C. H. Dibbern. 



Eock Island Co., III. 



MB. DEMAREE'S answer. 



The letter of " Learner," relating to the use of sections 

 that have been brought over from the preceding year gives the 

 writer the opportunity to answer the question referred to by 

 " Learner" more fully than could be crowded Into the limited 

 space assigned to the "Question-Box" of the American Bee 

 Journal." 



In the first place, I use all -fairly-preserved sections of the 

 preceding year as a matter of economy. If such sections have 

 been nicely kept over the winter, and properly managed, the 

 quality of the honey will not disappoint the apiarist. Let it 

 be remembered that climatic causes — state of the weather — 

 during the time the honey is being stored by the bees In drawn- 

 out, or partly-drawn combs, has much, if not everything, to do 

 with the quality of the finisht sections. If the state of .the 

 weather Is In every way favorable — In my locality — fully 

 drawn combs will give first-class honey. But the uncertainty 

 of the condition of the atmosphere in the general way makes 

 it safer to level down the combs with a hot plate, and take 

 no risk. 



Some may ask why it Is that good, dense honey Is taken 

 with the extractor from fully drawn combs. We have only to 

 answer that the conditions are decidedly not the same. In a 

 set of extractlng-combs the bees Instinctively spread out the 

 honey in the (extracting) combs, and thereby aid in the evap- 

 oration of the excess of water in the nectar ; while in the sec- 

 tion-cases the work is more concentrated, and the drawn-out 

 combs are sometimes filled and sealed before the nectar is 

 thoroughly seasoned. Before I began to thin down the combs, 

 I sometimes In the same season had first-class honey and a 

 poor quality of honey in full-depth combs — notwithstanding 

 only a week or two intervened between the storing of the 

 grades. The conditions of the weather made the difference In 

 the quality of the honey. 



It is a fact worthy of notice here, that I have had the 

 quality of honey injured by being stored too profusely In full- 

 sized Langstroth frames when the weather was unpropitlous. 



When you apply the uncapplng-knife to a sealed somb. If 

 the surface of the honey in the cells lies smooth and placid, 

 all Is well ; but if sparkling, little, beadlike bubbles lie on tha 

 surface of the uncapt honey, you had better keep that honey 

 to Itself, as slight fermentation is present. 



Every well-informed apiarist ought to know his environ- 

 ments best, and shape Is course accordingly. 



After testing the matter, and finding that In some seasons 

 I can get a good quality of honey by using the brought-out 

 sections just as the bees left them the year before, while in. 

 other seasons the quality ol^the honey Is injured by slight fer- 

 mentation, which produces pressure against thecappings and 

 gives the water color, I now prefer the extra work to avoid 

 all danger of loss, by thinning down the combs to X or % Inchv 



Shelby Co., Ky. G. W. Demobee. 



Various Things and a Report for 18Qi7. 



by L. M. WILLIS. 



Fifty-two copies of the " Old Reliable " are worth the best 

 dollar made, to any one Interest^ In the pleasing pursuit of 

 sweetness and health-giving products. No, this isn't '• taffy," 

 Mr. Editor, but just a plain statement of facts, which, if 

 necessary, I can substantiate. I have been so absorbed of late 

 in the writings of those so much better qualified than myself 

 to tell of their honied experiences, that I came very near for- 

 getting to pay for those droppings of wisdom and information, 

 which have been, and will always be, of Interest to me. For 

 altho I have sold out and Intend to quit the keeping of beea 

 In this locality. It doesn't matter, I shall want the paper' just 

 the same ; and were I to take up millinery as a means of liveli- 

 hood, if only for the pleasure of keeping In touch with the- 

 generous hearted and Indefatigable old liners and promising 

 recruits who so ably assist you in doing a noble work. And If 

 perchance I should find myself transplanted to the peach or- 

 chards of Michigan, or among the orange groves of California, 

 you may be assured of my kindest regard for you and them. 



Our honey crop here was cut short by too much rain In 

 the early part of the summer, for altho we had an abundancer 

 of clover blossoms, very little white honey was stored in the 

 surplus boxes, and for nearly three weeks the sections were- 

 neglected almost entirely after being about half filled. Later 

 we were favored with a flow of yellow honey with which th& 

 bees filled and capt the sections ; and while this made us feel 

 a little " down In the mouth," we were obliged to admit that it 

 was an improvement upon the previous state of affairs. 



Basswood was cut off by a late frost. My surplus- 

 amounted to about 1,700 pounds from 31 colonies, spring 

 count, and Increast to 50. My best colony filled six 24-pound 

 supers, and eight Langstroth frames above the main hive. Of 

 course they did not swarm. 



And now I've a nut for that genial gentleman, Mr. C. P. 

 Dadant, to crack for us. The colony just referred to is one of 

 the first I boughteight years ago. It is in an 8-frame hive. Th& 

 frames are eight leches In depth, and Vl% Inches long. The- 

 hive contains but seven frames with V-top-bars. This colony 

 has always carried off the honors in honey-producing ; some 

 seasons they have cast a swarm, but only one. These swarm* 

 do well, but not much better than others I had. The bees are 

 3-banded, and the most docile of any I had In the yard. The 

 bottom of the hive they are in is nailed fast, so It can only be 

 ventilated by raising the cover. Now, is it the bees or the 

 hive? 



I think the past summer was the banner summer for cross 

 bees In this section. I never saw them so utterly depraved 

 before. 



Taking my Information from careful Inquiry, lean report 

 a falling off of about 50 per cent, in the honey crop from that 

 obtained last year, and the most of this is second and third 

 grade goods, tho there is a decided improvement in the man- 

 ner of preparing It for market. 



I was exceedingly pleased with Dr. Miller's report of his 

 grand crop of honey, and it's all right, too ; he deserves It, for 

 the Doctor is a real nice man, even if he will tell people that 

 he " don't know" the answer to their questions — when he 

 doesn't. And then just think of all that sugar he fed his bees 

 a couple of years ago for winter stores r Hiis bees hadn't for- 

 gotten that. Clark Co., Wis. 



[Mr. Willis desired very much that the above article ap- 

 pear before Jan. 1, but that was quite impossible, we regret 

 to say. We have quite a good dieal of valuable correspon- 

 dence that has had to wait its turn. — EDimoR.]i 



