BEE MANUAL. 139 



swarm when supered for comb-honey. Then, again, there is 

 the space occupied by these separators which might be more 

 profitably filled with honey. 



The only method which appears practicable at present to 

 attain this end is to use narrower sections. Nearly all who 

 have experimented conclude that with the two-inch sections 

 separators are indispensable, but with sections running seven 

 to the foot, or a width of slightly under lfin. to each box, they 

 have obtained satisfactory results without separators. With 

 only one bee space between the combs, instead of two, as there 

 must be with separators, the narrower sections when well filled 

 are said to weigh about the same as the two-inch ones. A 

 Langstroth hive would take eight rows of the smaller size in 

 the place of seven of the larger boxes. Opinions are very 

 much divided upon the matter at present ; I would therefore 

 advise those who might wish to give the system a trial not to 

 go to much expense or trouble at first in making the necessary 

 alterations in their present appliances. 



SECTION RACKS AND CASES. 



Hitherto I have only mentioned the broad frame system in 

 connection with sections, but there is another method of 



Fig. 60— PRIZE SECTION RACK. 



A. A wedge for jamming the sections together. B B. Tin separators. 



c c. Glass in outside boxes. 



placing section boxes on a hive which dispenses with the 

 frames. What is termed a rack is formed, consisting of a light 

 framework of wood, across which thin laths are nailed three- 

 eighths of an inch from the bottom at equal distance apart ; 

 on the edges of these the sections rest. The rack is set on 

 top of the frames, and takes the place of an ordinary super, a 

 deep cover fits over all, and rests on the hive. Fig. 60 shows 



