1898. 



THE AMEKICAN BEE JOURNA!L= 



739 



The simplicity and cheapness of this method are also in 

 its favor.. 



For a bottom spacer I have never seen anything f liked 

 as well as the one made of wire, described in Langstroth Re- 

 vised. Some may object to this spacer because It is old, but I 

 would not discard it until a better one is invented to take its 

 place. This spacer, however, is greatly improved and 

 strengthened by taking a strip of firm, straight-grained pine 

 or basswood %%'^A inch, and a little longer than the width of 

 the hive, and cutting a saw-kerf the entire length directly in 

 the center of the strip upon the widest or half-inch side i„ 

 inch deep. Now take the wire spacer after it is carefully 

 made, and press it firmly into the saw-kerf; it requires no 

 fastening to hold it in the kerf, providing the kerf is the 

 proper width, that is, a trifle narrower than the diameter of 

 the wire used. By using this strip we are enabled to use a 

 smaller wire than we otherwise would, and still our spacer is 

 very strong ; the smaller wire is more easily and rapidly bent 

 the required shape. 



The strip can be placed in position in the hive by making 

 a very shallow mortise upon each side about 1/16 inch deep, 

 and springing the strip into place. 



We should place this spacer in the hive so there will be a 

 3i inch space between it and the bottom-board. 



It is a little trouble to arrange our hives with spacers, 

 but we will be amply repaid by doing so. 



Clark Co., Wis. 



UNITED STATES BEE-KEEPERS' UNION. 



Report of the 29th Annual Convention Held at 

 Omaha, Nebr., Sept. 13-15, 1898. 



DB. A. B. MASON, SEC. 



SECOND DAY— Forenoon Session. 



LContlnued Irom page 72-1.1 



PARAFFINED SEPARATORS AND FENCES. 



'' Who has had any experience with paraflBned separators and 

 fences ? and what is your opinion of them V 



Mr. Danzenbaker — I can claim that I have had some ex- 

 perience. I believe I was the first one to mention the matter. 

 Here is a sheet of paraffined paper. The intention was to use 

 this in covering over the super, and you could put a covering 

 over it — a piece of carpet, or a piece of enameled cloth. The 

 intention was to keep the other clean. When you use enam- 

 eled sheets, you always have to clean them off. Use them 

 once, and if they get soiled they stain the sections wherever 

 they touch. This paper is clean ; you can use it once or twice 

 and then throw it away. It is very cheap. The question is, 

 how long will it last? Here is one piece that has been used 

 several times. Some say the bees eat it. There is no hole in 

 that piece: this sheet is out along the edge. That was put on 

 right in the height of the white clover honey-flow. The bees 

 •don't eat it for me, only where it is not prest down tight. 

 Where it is used with weight enough on it to hold it tight, 

 they won't cut it out. When used for separators, without any 

 pressure on the other side, they cut it, and I abandoned using 

 It in that way. The bees will gnaw it if it is laid on the super 

 without anything over it. For separators it will not do. 



Mr. Hatch — I would like to say that I used parallined 

 paper last year, and I found it perfectly worthless. It was no 

 better than so much newspaper laid over the combs. The bees 

 will gnaw through it in no time. And If the wind is blowing, 

 it takes three boys and a man to put the sheets back on the 

 hives when they are taken off. 



Mr. Danzenbaker — The intention in putting that on is to 

 have it done in the shop, not in the yard. In examining the 

 supers I don't take the sheets clear off: I just raise up one 

 corner. 



A paper written by S. T. Pettit, of Ontario, Canada, was 

 then read by the Secretary, as follows : 



Advanced Methods of Comb Honey Production. 



The subject assigned me is an important one. The great- 

 est dillBculty in dealing with it consists in the large number of 

 supposed-to-be superior systems, and every one wedded to his 

 own. But for all that, the advancement recently made in the 

 fine art of taking comb honey is marvelous indeed, and I often 

 admire men and methods. 



Presuming the object in view was that this paper shall be 

 helpful rather than a delineation of many and conflicting 

 methods, I shall in the main confine myself to my own system, 

 believing it to be the best. 



First of all, quality and reputation must be maintained, 

 even if necessary at the expense of quantity. The comb foun- 

 dation must be faultless. The filling of the brood-chamber at 

 the approach of the clover flow or main crop with sugar syrup, 

 I regard as a most pernicious practice. I state this with due 

 respect for the views of others. Later on I will give a beljter 

 way. 



May I digress long enough to state that the statutes of 

 Canada, when any such syrup reaches the supers and is offered 

 for sale, make such practice a willful adulteration, and the 

 Government, at its own charges, will do the prosecuting. 



It is no digression to state that perfect wintering is a 

 mighty factor in the production of comb honey. 



It is not enough to bring 95 or even 100 percent of our 

 colonies through the winter alive ; we should see to it that 

 they are practically in the same condition that they were at 

 the approach of winter, with plenty of stores, healthy and 

 strong, and able to rush out and catch the first and every 

 honey-flow coming within reach. 



And then the spring management must be such that the 

 brood-chamber at the time of giving section supers Is practi- 

 cally full of brood from side to side, and from front to rear. 

 Briefly, then, to this end brood spreading, timely and judici- 

 ously, with some uncapping, generally must be practiced. 



And now for the better way : When the spring flow sets 

 in sharply, in order to leave the whole brood-chamber to the 

 queen, and to provide against the practice of feeding sugar 

 syrup, extraoting-supers must be given. These, with their 

 contents, are left on to keep up brood-rearing until clover 

 yields freely. These supers are then removed and comb 

 honey supers take their place. 



Generally, at this time, if tne work has been well done, 

 the brood-chamber will be practically full of brood, which will 

 be of far greater value than sugar syrup, and it costs nothing ; 

 and your comb honey will be pure, and your reputation un- 

 sullied. With this management no bait combs, half-supers, 

 nor double brood-chambers will be wanted. The bees will go 

 up for "standing-room," and go to work with a right good 

 will. 



I must not forget to state that at the time of changing 

 supers the combs containing the most and youngest brood 

 should be placed next to the sides of the brood-chamber. This 

 will make more room for the queen, retard swarming, and 

 force the honey into the sections ; and then when swarms do 

 issue their numerical strength will gladden your weary hearts, 

 and cause you to rejoice in hope of a rich reward. 



The large entrance has become an Indispensable necessity 

 in my practice. For that purpose I used the wedges so often 

 referred to ; and the dividers for creating a double bee-space 

 at the outside of the sections, are also indispensable ; the 

 former distributes the bees, and the latter hold them just 

 where wanted — so much so that sometimes the outside and 

 rear sections actually get ahead of those near the entrance, 

 but that is not the rule. 



The habit of the young bees meeting the field-bees above 

 the entrance near the center is so strong that a cluster is 

 sometimes formed, and the field-bees continue to go up at the 

 center ; but a little cool weather will usually break that up, 

 and proper distribution will follow. 



Hive swarms on starters, in hives contracted to about 

 two-thirds of the size by the use of dummies. Let them re- 

 maiu upon the old stands, and at once transfer the supers to 

 the new swarms. A queen-bar or queen-excluder must be 

 used. Give shade and a lot of top ventilation, which should 

 be closed on the fourth or fifth day in the cool of the evening. 

 We may yet learn how to continue top ventilation with much 

 profit. 



What seems to me the most difficult thing is to give the 

 right amount of super-room. I would say, be careful to give 

 enough, and be just as careful not to give too much. But 

 what's enough and what's too much ? How shall we know? 

 Well, I reckon from existing conditions and prospects, years 

 of careful observation and practice will guide us pretty well. 



Want of space forbids giving many pointers. My experi- 

 ence with deep-cell foundation, fence separators and plain sec- 



