56 ALEXANDER'S WRITINGS ON PRACTICAL BEE CULTURE 



locations, when the surplus comes so unevenly, by unfavorable condi- 

 tions of the atmosphere, that this, too, to a great extent prevents the 

 securing of nice comb honey. We all know that, the sooner the sections 

 can be filled and well capped, then removed from the bees, the nicer 

 will the honey appear. 



Some years ago, in conversation with one of our principal honey- 

 merchants, he called my attention to a fine lot of comb honey he had 

 just received. Each section was glassed on each side, and the combs 

 were as white as any new comb I ever saw. I don't think the sections 

 could have been on the hive more than ten days. They were so white 

 and free from travel-stains he told me he could sell that honey for 4 

 cents per lb. more than ordinary honey, on account of its fine ap- 

 pearance. 



A location that will require the whole summer in order that a 

 colony can secure 30 or 40 lbs. of comb honey should never be used to 

 produce honey of that kind, for only a rich harvest with strong colonies 

 and warm nights, so the bees will continue their work in the sections, 

 night and day, will give us choice comb honey, and usually it is rather 

 hard to have these requirements all at the same time; and if either 

 is lacking, then we have a surplus of poor quality and a large number 

 of unfinished sections. 



Then there is the expense connected with comb honey, which we 

 must consider. This is no small item in large apiaries. I hardly know 

 just what it would be now, as it is a long time since I produced comb 

 honey. But when I did, it cost me at least 2 cents per lb. for the 

 necessary sections, comb foundation, glass, and crates. Then the freight 

 charges were high, and frequently the honey got badly damaged in tran- 

 sit; and the worst of all was the uncertainty of securing much surplus. 

 Then when I got the net returns from the commission men, and found 

 they were only 10 or 12 cents per lb., with still another discount to be 

 made of 2 cents per lb. or over for supplies, I gave up the production of 

 comb honey in disgust. 



The desire to swarm is hard to overcome in producing comb honey — 

 much more so than with extracted. It is much handier to make in- 

 crease, rear queens, or form nuclei in running an apiary for extracted 

 honey, for I think these all require some brood when started, which 

 never should be taken from a colony at work in sections, for it soon 

 reduces their working force and causes them to be somewhat dis- 

 couraged. This can be easily proven by removing their brood and put- 

 ting in its place combs partly filled with honey. 



Now, the question of labor is one we must consider. From our past 

 experience we find, from the time sections, creates, comb foundation, 

 separators, and glass are received from the manufacturer until the 

 comb honey is sold, it has required far more labor than it would to 

 produce a given amount of extracted honey. Whichever you produce, 

 I consider It of as much importance to prepare your bees well in the 

 spring for the summer harvest as it is to prepare them in the summer 

 for the long cold winters of the North. 



