70 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apk 



to you, and others, for the information f'lir- 

 ni.sh(d in regard to the section boxes. With 

 such an opportunity of comparing notes, and 

 overlooking each others failures and successes, 

 we ought to improve some. 



SECTION FRAMES AND HOIVEV BOXES. 



^rj^HIEND ROOT:— I see by Glbanings for March, 

 Bpl that J. I. Johnson, Palmyra, N. Y., asks a pre- 

 ventive of bees running the combs together in 

 section boxes. I will tell yon what I did last smiimcr, 

 and it worked to a charm. I had 8 stands i>f bt-cs in 

 'lonble hives, my own make, Qninby suspended frame, 

 20 frames in hive. I made 100 Ibsv. box, 150 in sections, 

 and 50 extracted honey. I live on a public road, and 

 I)eople constantly passing wanted a few pounds of 

 honey ; of course they had nothing to hold it. Well, I 

 thonght abont a section box ; I conld get nothing to 

 make them of easily, so I got some peach box covers 

 and some strawberry bi>x stufl", and ripped them up in 

 one inch strips (I snppose yon know how a strawberry 

 box is, ciU half thro' .it each corner and nailed at one 

 side, bnt the veneer must bo wet over night before 

 bending ; it then works nicely). I then put a piece of 

 eomb in the top, 1 inch square, (would prefer drone 

 comb if white) in some 1 stuck little bits of vvax along 

 Ihe under side of top. When filled they weighed from 

 one to two lbs. each. Only two sections out of the 150 

 lbs. were connected. 1 sold all my honey at the house, 

 for cash, comb honey 25c., extracted SOti. I had more 

 demand for the little sections than any other. I put 

 the sections in the frames both front and back of the 

 liive. I think the comb Joundations for the sections, 

 a grand hit. One hive made 90 lbs. comb honey. Be- 

 sides the 300 lbs. honey, I had swarms from the 8 

 hives, making 24 all in good order, to start with this 

 spring. Alkx. Fiddes. 



P. S.— I may say that I put sections on top, but frost 

 came abont the middle of Sept. and there was no more 

 honey. 



Ceiitralia, HI., March 8th, 1870. 



In answer to J. I. Johnson's query on page oO of 

 Gleanings, I will say that I have used D. L. Adair's 

 section boxes for six years. Sections 5x6xlX inches. 

 sections in a clamp. To ensure straight comb the 

 guide should be at least 4 inches long, or whole length 

 of section is better. Depth of cells does not matter, as 

 they will work straight if there are only two cells and 

 those crushed flat, if the center ridge is left straight- 

 If a short piece is used they will often run cornerwise 

 and sometimes in half circles. C T. Smith. 



Trenton, 111., March 11th, '76. 



I could liiive shown you Mr. Isham's arrangement 

 in the year l!*(i7. I did not like it then because of the 

 pi-ojecting top and bottom. The top and bottom of 

 wine had a channel all round. ,5-1(5 in. from edge, to 

 receive the ends of the glass sides, and I should now 

 think this a'Tangement preferable to Mr. Isham's lit- 

 tle n.ailB "to keep the glass from falling in." I then 

 Blade another— which I still possess— by catling a 

 square piece so as to form an angle like this ^ ; 4 such 

 posts arc nailed, one on each corner of bottom. The 

 frlass is then slipped in place and the top nailed on. 

 This makes a verv neat box. but the foUowinir I like 

 much better, of which I would send you a sample, but 

 the description will enable you to make one in a few 

 minutcfa. Cvitllie glass to the size required : set the 

 4 pieces up on end to form a box ; have top and bot- 

 tom ready, these should have a rabbet around the 

 edge to receive the ends of glass, say G-32 — thiek- 

 ■eee of glas-s. The top will fit into and on the glass 



box; now have a square hoop of light tin .''>-8 wldv 

 thut will fit tightly, binding all snugly together; preg^-' 

 the hoop down half way. now flit the corners and fol'J 

 the apper half of hoop over on to the top and rub ii 

 down with a stick. Now turn bottom up and servv 

 the same way, and you will have a box equ il to any. 

 The hoop is easily pressed down just half way by hav- 

 ing a board .'.j in. less than top, and just !y-\S thick. 

 By having this on when pressing on the hoop, you' 

 will have half the width of hooj) to fold over. But P 

 should, if convenient, go a step lurther :ind get squari 

 glass bodies u>ade all ready for top antl bottom. I sup- 

 pose 3-ou can get them from some of your glass man- 

 ufacturing advertisers, or. you might cut the top and 

 bottom otVatquare'2 11). honey jar and try it. I be- 

 lieve there are several ways of doing this, and nu 

 (!oubt you know of some of them. I have seen this 

 in some paper : "To cut a glass bottle in two. Put tlu- 

 bottle in any suitable vessel and pour into the vessel 

 water until it rises to the line where you wish the bot- 

 tl(; cut, now pour oil on the water and set it on lire ; 

 this will expand tlie cxi)osed part ofthel)ottle am"; 

 sei»arate it from the j)art under water." I have never 

 seen or known of this being done iiut it seems reason- 

 able, and I give it for what it is worth. In putting on 

 tlie tin hoops above mentioned, if they should be u 

 little large, a bit of pai)er between them and the glass 

 will do the business; if small, hammer a little. Thi- 

 little rabbets .are rapidly cut with a s<aw, but a cutting; 

 gauge does very well, and makes nice, clean work. 

 YOU will observe that the square glass boflies will 

 need no tin hoops, only get the tops and bottoms to lit 

 into and on them and the b.^es will ilo the rest. 

 Putting in comb guides is an easy operation. Y m have 

 your tops and bottoms slit in strips of 7-8. First put u 

 strip in top and bottom, then put in comb foundation 

 and press the next strip in top and bottom, and pros-* 

 the comb fomidaation lietween. Yours truly. 



Wm. H. KiiiK, Waterbury Conn., March 18th, *7t;. 



Our friend who Vfrites first, it would seem 

 used the sections in large frames, and we think 

 he succeeded rem;irkably well if he useil noth- 

 ing to induce the bees to build them true in 

 the frames. Friend Smith's remarks in regard 

 to using broad guide combs agree in substance 

 with what Doolittlc has written, an! we an- 

 much obliged to both for their timely caution- 

 There are disadvantages in posts such as Mr. 

 Kirk mentions, in not allowing the glass to be 

 removed anci replaced when the boxes are full 

 of honey. A sample post having one side fas- 

 tened with a glazier's tin was sent us by some 

 friend, and by bending this single tin, auy 

 one of the four glasses could be removed or re- 

 placed easily. The square glass frame, we 

 think could never be made as cheaply as the 

 four flat sheets, could not well be made as per- 

 fect, and would be quite expensive on account 

 of the risk and great bulk in shipping. 



A year ago, we made the remark that se(;tion 

 frames should be made and sold for me cent 

 each, and when in Mich., Mr. Palmer told us 

 that those he made did not cost liim as muclt 

 as that. On the strength of this, we advertised 

 to furnish them for that amouut, and afti rwartl 

 found we had an "elephant'' on our hands. 

 For the past montli we have studied section 

 boxes during the day, and dreamed ef them at 

 night; we have sent for sample hone.v boxc-; 

 from every point of the compass, paid express 

 charges ou them, and then many times pilefl 

 them into the kindrmg'"wood as soon as they 



