The BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW. 



in 



bf theories as some folks have. We have 

 said nothing about movin<,' northward with 

 an apiary, keeping pace with the advancing 

 bloom, but if anyone has anything to offer 

 upon this point, we shall be glad to publish it. 



tiANGSTHOTH ON THE HONEY BEE, KEVI8ED RY 

 DADANT. 



Continued from Juno No. 



Chapter XIV is devoted to "Robbing, and 

 How Prevented." We find nothing partic- 

 ularly new in this chapter, and have no crit- 

 icisms to make. 



"Comb Foundation" is the title of Chap- 

 ter XV, which begins with a brief but con- 

 cise history of the invention, adoption and 

 manufacture of foundation. — Upon the 

 point of manufacture, there is one paragraph 

 that we quote entire with our heartiest en- 

 dorsement. It is as follows; "The man- 

 ufacture of foundation, which, at first, 

 seemed likely to be undertaken by every api- 

 arist, has become an industry of itself, ow- 

 ing to the greater skill and speed acquired by 

 those who make it daily. It might be com- 

 pared to cigar making. Any apiarist can 

 make wax into sheets and run it through 

 rollers, and any farmer can raise tobacco 

 <ind roll its leaves into cigars, but, to the un- 

 initiated, a neat sheet of foundation is as 

 difficult to make as an elegant cigar." Yes, 

 this is fast becoming a world of specialties, 

 and one has only to compare the foundation 

 made by our Autliors, with the manufacture 

 of some novice, to be glad that 'tis so. 



Following the Chapter on Foundation, 

 comes one on "Pasturage and Overstock- 

 ing." Brief descriptions and illustrations 

 are given of the principal honey-producing 

 plants. — The Dadants believe that a locality 

 can be oversotcked. They have found 

 eighty to one hundred colonies to be the 

 number from which the most honey could be 

 expected. 



Chapter XVII treats of " Honey Produc- 

 tion." Our Authors say that the production 

 of comb honey is less advantageous than 

 that of extracted honey, but that the former 

 is more salable. In our opinion, all depends 

 upon circumstances ; such as locality, pas- 

 turage, market, and especially upon the 

 apiarist. — It is asserted that more honey will 

 be stored in a large box than in several small 

 ones, the united capacity of which is equal to 

 that of the large box. The reasons given 

 are that, in cool weather, the animal heat 



cannot be so well maintained, and, in hot 

 weather, the ventilation is less perfect. With 

 the modern surplus case, in which there are 

 communications in almost every direction, 

 we very much doubt if there is any advan- 

 tage in large sections, so far as the amount 

 of honey secured is concerned, as the whole 

 surplus apartment is practically one great 

 box. Many bee-keepers who liave used half- 

 pound sections, secured no less honey by 

 their lase. — Side-storing is condemned; in 

 fact, we think it would now be difficult to 

 find, among practical honey producers, 

 many defenders of this system. — In speak- 

 ing of the necessity of using queen-excluding 

 honey-boards when raising comb honey, our 

 Authors touch ui)on an important point 

 when they say ; " The condition of the honey 

 crop has something to do with the queen's 

 proi)ensity to move out of the brood apart- 

 ment. When the crop is heavy and of short 

 duration, there is no danger on this score, as 

 the combs (in the super) are filled as fast as 

 they are built, and the queen, should she 

 move to the super, would soon leave it, ow- 

 ing to her inability to lay there. In localities 

 where the crop is intermittent and lasting, 

 much advantage has been derived from the 

 use of the Collin perforated zinc." Over an 

 established brood-nest, we have never found 

 it necessary to use a queen- excluder when 

 raising comb honey. When hivmg swarms 

 upon empty frames it is indispensible. — Our 

 Authors draw a very graphic and truthful 

 picture showing what is lost by compelling 

 the bees to build combs in the supers, in- 

 stead of furnishing them drawn combs. 

 Very few, if any, bee-keepers now allow 

 their bees to build their coml)s unaided in 

 the supers : the sections are filled with foun- 

 dation, which can be changed to drawn comb 

 in an incredibly short time. We are sur- 

 prised that this important factor is not 

 shown in the picture. It is true that drawn 

 combs have an advantage over foundation 

 for use in the supers, but not so great as 

 foundation has over nothuu). We do think, 

 however, that drawn combs are viost iinpor- 

 tant in getting the bees at work carhi in the 

 season. They begin work sooner, at least 

 they do with us, when the supers contain 

 drawn combs. Pressure upon the brood- 

 nest is relieved ; more bees are reared ; and 

 the energy of the colony is diverted from 

 swarming to storing. For this purpose, we 

 look upon a case of sections filled with drawn 

 comb, as worth almost as much as a case of 



