Sept. 21, 1899. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



595 



the fine harvest of fat-comb sections will be removed. By 

 observation and conversation we g-athered many important 

 features of Mr. Pettit's sj-stem. which we will endeavor to 

 g-ive to our readers. 



COMB HONKY THE SPECIALTY. 



Mr. Pettit, like many advanced bee-keepers, makes a 

 specialty of comb-honey production. The proportion taken 

 is largely g-overned by the extent of the swarming, as new 

 swarms are better suited to comb-honej' production than 

 those that have come out from winter quarters. This year 

 (1898) swarming has been under the average, and, as a re- 

 sult, Mr. Pettit has only about one-third of his hives sup- 

 plied with comb-section supers. The spring is usually com- 

 menced with 75 to SO colonies, which come out in vigorous 

 condition from the cellar. 



The hives used are of Mr. Pettit's own invention, hav- 

 ing brood-frames 9 inches deep and 143+ inches long, and 

 extracting-combs 14 inches deep, and of the same length as 

 the brood-frames. The hives are built to hold 12 frames. 

 When the bees are first brouglit out in spring they arc con- 

 fined to the brood-chamber until maple blossom commences. 

 Shallow supers are then put on, and the brood is spread in 

 the brood-chamber bj' placing the center frames, which con- 

 tain most brood, on the outside and exchanging for them 

 the outside frames, which contain more or less honey. This 

 is uncapt, so that the bees can readily remove it to the 

 super, leaving room for^ the queen to lay in these combs 

 when emptied. This exchanged position of frames is only 

 safe when the bees are sufficiently numerous and strongs 

 to keep the outside frames of brood warm. When clover 

 honey-flow commences, the strongest colonies are given 

 comb-supers in place of the shallow supers first put on, but 

 the others are given extracting-supers 14 inches deep. 

 Usually two comb-honey supers, each holding 36 sections, 

 are put on, but when the strength of the colonies and copi- 

 ousness of honey-flow will warrant it, three supers, or 108 

 sections, are put on. Sometimes the third super is added 

 after the others have become filled, or nearly so. At the 

 time of our visit nearly half of the comb-honey-producing- 

 colonies had three supers, which in most cases contained 

 about 14 ounces of beautiful, well-capt honey per section. 



EXTRACTING HONEY. 



Mr. Pettit has his own method of taking off extracted 

 honey. As soon as tlie frames become filled the first time 

 in the season, the six fullest frames are selected out of each 

 hive, and the remaining six are shoved to one side, and 

 empty frames placed in the empty half of the super. The 

 date and side removed are written on the back of the hive, 

 and as soon as full and capt the other side is extracted. By 

 this means the bees are not delaj-ed for a moment, and the 

 work of extracting is facilitated. This is the means 

 adopted till the last extraction (which was in operation at 

 the time of our visit), when all the combs are exchanged 

 for empties. It is remarkable the amount of honey these 

 bees are made to produce, viz.: from 150 to 160 pounds per 

 colony of extracted hone3'. 



Mr. Pettit has an ingenious and simple metiiod of re- 

 moving the full combs. When it is desired to remove six 

 frames, as is the custom early in the season, the hive-cloth 

 is stript off just the width of the six frames, a few puft's of 

 smoke sends the bees down, when the frames are quickU 

 lifted out and the empty ones placed in before the bees have 

 commenced to return. The cloth and cushion are replaced 

 with very little disturbance to the bees. As the full combs 

 are lifted out they are each given a shake before the hive, 

 and then stood up at the back of the hive till the cover is 

 put on and they are ready to be taken to the extracting- 

 room. The few remaining bees, which by this time feel 

 lost and lonesome, are swept off with a feather, and all is 

 over in a very little more than a minute, with no commotion, 

 no stinging-, and no chance for robbing. The extracting is 

 done by a large extractor, which handles four frames at 

 once. 



The empty frames last put on continue to receive a 

 little honey thruout the remainder of the season till brood- 

 rearing iias ceast, about the middle of September, when the 

 supers are all removed. This is done thruout the whole 

 yard as nearly as possible at the same time. Each super is 

 left uncovered and placed on the ground a few feet in front 

 of the hive from which it was taken, and which is now 

 covered with cloth-cushion and hive-cover. This sets the 

 entire working population in active service, carrving the 

 honey into the brood-chambers for winter stores. 



True, a big commotion is set up, but practically each 

 swarm is attending to its own case, and no evil results from 

 robbing or any other cause. About the end of September 



the hives are examined to see what stores are needed, and 

 feeding is proceeded with as it is deemed necessary. The 

 food given consists of four-fifths granulated sugar and one- 

 fifth honey. It is calculated to allow each colony 30 pounds 

 of stores for the winter months. 



SOME NICE POINTS IN MK. PETTIT'S SYSTEM. 



Bee-keepers know g^enerally how difficult it is to have 

 the outside, either comb or extracting, frames as well filled 

 as those in the center of the super. Mr. Pettit has quite 

 overcome this difficulty bj' allowing the entrance to extend 

 clear across the hive, and by raising the front an inch and 

 a quarter above the bottom or floor, by a wedge on either 

 side of the entrance. This allow the bees to enter the hive 

 the full width, and compels them to walk up the sides or back 

 of the hive, so that they always fill the outside frames first 

 instead of last, as is the case with the narrow entrance. 



Another means to this end with comb sections is to 

 create a bee-space between the outside comb sections and 

 the walls by inserting a perforated divider held out from 

 the wall by tiny blocks of wood a bee-space wide. This 

 allows the bees to pass up and down freely, which they do 

 the same as between the sections, and holds more bees at 

 the outside of the sections. 



Another advantage afforded by the wide and deep en- 

 trance is the ventilation and comfort afforded the bees, es- 

 pecially in hot weather. Undue swarming is thus pre- 

 vented. The extracted-honey hives are ventilated at the 

 top and at the back, but no top ventilation is given the 

 comb-honey hives, except for a few days after a new swarm 

 is hived, when it is necessary to afford them comfort in or- 

 der to commence their working at an early date. This is 

 usually permanently closed up on a cool evening when all 

 have settled down. 



Another practice with a newly-hived swarm is to sub- 

 stitute two frames on either side of the brood-chamber for 

 dummies, so as to contract the brood-chamber and get the 

 bees working in the sections above. Late in the season six 

 dummies, or three on eitlier side, are inserted, but it re- 

 quires the judgment of an experienced bee-master to ma- 

 nipulate these nice points. 



Regarding the capture of swarms, Mr. Pettit always 

 keeps his queens dipt, ,so that they are not able to take 

 flight with the swarm, but commonly fall on the ground in 

 front of the hive. She is pickt up and placed in a cage, 

 which is placed in the entrance of a new hive, which takes 

 the place of the old one, which is moved about two feet back 

 and left there about sis days. As soon as the issuing 

 swarm find their queen is not "with them, they return to the 

 old stand, but new hive, find their queen, and at once pro- 

 ceed to occupy the hive. 



Some of these ingenious methods may be used in gen- 

 eral practice, but not a few of the most valued of them 

 originated with Mr. Pettit, who delights in giving to the 

 bee-keeping world the benefits of his experience and inven- 

 tion. — P^armer's Advocate. 



RepoFt of the Proceeding's of the 30th Annual 

 Convention of the United States Bee-Keep- 

 ers' Association, Held at Philadelphia, 

 Pa., Sept. 5, 6 and 7, 1899. 



BY DR. A. E. M.ASON, SEC. 



The 30th annual meeting of the United States Bee- 

 Keepers' Association was called to order at 7:30 o'clock, 

 Tuesday evening, Sept. 5, by the President, E. Whitcomb, 

 of Nebraska. 



Mr. Haenle. of Philadelphia, sang a solo, and prayer 

 was offered by Rev. E. T. Abbott, of Missouri, after which 

 Mr. John L. Kug-ler read the following paper: 



The Fall Honey Crop of Philadelphia. 



The subject assigned to me by your secretary, is the fall 

 honey crop of Philadelphia. I sought to have this changed 

 to the fall honey crop of southern Philadelphia, as the flow 

 which they wish me to tell you about is confined to points 



