THE BEE-KEEPERS ' REVIEW. 



I have 110 colonies on their summer 

 stands, without protection, and 54 in the 

 cellar. Those in the cellar are keeping, ap- 

 parently, the best I ever saw, there is not a 

 gallon of dead bees in all. 



Sheffield, 111. 



Feb. 21, 1891. 



When Separators Are Needed. 



BAMBLEK. 



T^N THE production of comb honey in 

 m) my own apiary I have secured several 

 thousand pounds in sections without 

 the use of separators. The crate employed 

 was a combined hive and shipping crate, 

 and the honey, though quite uniform, was 

 off -weight so much that the dealer disliked 

 to handle it. The demands of the market 

 then called for new shipping crates, and an- 

 other crop of hoDey was repacked, and, 

 though this was accomplished, it required 

 much time and patience to fit bulges and 

 hollows. Since passing through such an ex- 

 perience, I have used separators. I found in 

 using a crate without separators that a 

 steady flow of honey and close contraction 

 gave me the best results in uniformity, 

 while the first and last filled sections, and a 

 slow honey flow, gave the most trouble. 



I prefer a wood separator. I dislike any 

 thing metallic in the interior of a bee hive ; 

 and, as far as my observation goes, the in- 

 sect world avoids things metallic. 



I can arise in the night and walk in my 

 room upon the carpet with comfort even in 

 the coldest weather, but if I step on the oil 

 cloth around the stove I get off instanter ; 

 and metal would be still more uncomfort- 

 able. Even in warm weather there is a 

 difference in favor of the carpet, and did you 

 ever notice that the wood separators, or any 

 wood about the hive, has a sort of a mat sur- 

 face, like a carpet, which must be very con- 

 genial to the bees ? 



I have always disliked to use separators 

 permanently fastened to the frame, and now 

 use a case that enables me to insert the 

 separators as I desire. I can leave them all 

 out if necessary until the bees get well start- 

 ed in comb construction, and then insert for 

 finishing up. But I think if the weather is 

 warm and the honey arriving rapidly, I am 

 sure it makes but little difference in the 

 yield whether separators are used or not, 

 even from tlie beginning to the end of the 

 season. 



I have been interested in the discussion 

 upon the subject of foundation, and wish to 

 break my silence upon the subject by saying 

 that I am in favor of full sheets in the brood 

 chambers and in ttie sections. I also have 

 just as good authority for saying that it 

 takes twenty pounds of honey to make one 

 pound of wax, as our missionary friends 

 have for saying three or seven. The latter 

 are mere assertions not founded upon care- 

 ful experiments. Oh ! for a careful, un- 

 prejudiced experimenter ; where shall I find 

 him ? 



Thin Wood Separators Preferable. 



JNO. S. EEESE. 



IJY EXPERIMENTS with separators 

 for the past few years may interest 

 some. Of course, there are a large 

 number of us who are ready and willing to 

 admit that they must be used (the city re- 

 tailers of our honey want us to use separa- 

 tors), and that when honey is to be had the 

 bees gather it regardless of the separators, 

 and the question with me was, which are the 

 best kind ? 



Heavy tin was first used. Cost too much. 

 Very light tin next. Cost still too much. 

 One-sixteenth inch wood was next used, 

 which was liked better than tin, but was too 

 thick. The next season I used several differ- 

 ent thicknesses of press board, such as is 

 used largely in manifold copy books. This 

 press board is made of paper, is very hard, 

 and has a good deal of oil in it. One thick- 

 ness runs (J8 sheets to the inch, and another 

 over 100 to the inch. This press board gave 

 promise of good results, but I soon found, 

 when the cases were left on any length of 

 time, as is often necessary, that the bees 

 would gnaw or bite them badly, and when 

 another little yield of honey came the sec- 

 tions would be uneven. The next thing used 

 was wood again, about '28 to the inch, and 

 for this I have discarded all other substances. 



The thin tin and press board allowed the 

 sections to come closer together, and less 

 propolis was used, but I found the sections 

 had to be gone over any way, and the slight 

 difference cut no figure. The wood separa- 

 tors are good to wedge up the sections in T 

 cases by placing them at the sides. Wood 

 separators are better for use the second year, 

 if you have time to clean them, which can 

 be done very rapidly. 



WiNOHESTEK, Ky. Jan. 22, 1891, 



