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LIBRARY
CC!"!GE OF AGRICUIT^M*
UNIVERSITY OF W!5rQ'-.T"v
MADISOH
''" .' '' 4.
 A. C. MILLER,
DROWNVILI^ ffc, I.

ROGERSVILLE, MICH.

GLOBE PRINTING HOUEE, FLINT, MICH.

 DEDICATION.

To those who are getting their bread and butter

by raising honey to spread upon the bread and but
ter of others, this little book is dedicated by
The Author.
 10 Ap 2/i

INTRODUCTION.

Four years ago last December, at a Michigan

State Bee- Keepers' Convention in Kalamazoo, where
I met, for the first time, several of our best bee
keepers, the production of comb honey was largely
discussed. I became intensely interested and went
home with "comb honey on the brain." A few days
later, in response to some inquiries. Mr. James
Ileddon wrote:
"Come down and see me and I'll tell you how
to raise nearly as much comb honey per colony as
you can of extracted." I went, and learned of the
advantages of the "Contraction Method" and the
"Tiering-up System." I also learned "How to Pre
vent After-Swarming." I saw Mr. Heddon's modi
fication of the Langstroth hive; saw his slatted
break-joint honey-board; his surplus case; his ship
ping-crate; and the only bee-feeder that T have ever
thought enough of to make and use.
Four happy, delightful, profitable days were
passed with Mr. Heddon ; and his hive, fixtures and
4 INTRODUCTION.
system so appealed to my reason that the next
season found me using them. Since then I have
raised comb honey.
Among other things, Mr. Heddon cautioned me
against filling the brood apartment with combs
when hiving swarms. Said he: "The bees will fill
these combs with honey the first thing they do.
When this is done you would naturally expect them
to begin work in the sections; but, in reply to your
invitation to 'come up stairs,' many of them will
roll up their eye3 and decline with, 'Oh, we're
pretty well fixed down here!' Hive them upon
foundation and transfer the supers from the old
to the new hive ; then honey will be stored in the
sections first, because no honey can be stored in the
brood-nest until the foundation is drawn out; and
as soon as the bees begin drawing out the founda
tion the queen begins occupying it with eggs ; and
the result is that most of the honey goes into the
sections and the five Langstroth frames in the
brood-nest become filled nearly solid with brood."
All this appeared so plausible that I was inclined to
carry the same line of reasoning still farther. I
said: "In two days the foundation will be comb,
then the conditions will be exactly the same as
though the swarm had been hived on comb, with
this most important exception, the bees have com
 INTRODUCTION. 6
menced storing honey in the supers and will con
tinue to do so.- Now, if it be an advantage to keep
comb out of the brood-nest two days after hiving a
swarm, would not the advantage be greater if it
could be kept out still longer; or rather, would it
not be better if the brood-nest could be gradually
filled with comb at such a rate that the queen could
keep pace with the filling; and, if so, in what more
practical manner can this be accomplished than by
allowing the bees to build their own combs in the
brood-nest ?"
Mr. Heddon replied that, so far as his experi
ence went, more honey would be secured if both
brood-nest and sections were filled with foundation.
Still I was not satisfied, it seemed so unreasonable ;
and as though to still further disturb my equilibrium,
Mr. Doolittle continued to assert that it was more
profitable to have combs built by the bees than to
use foundation.
So much faith had I in my theory that I de
termined to test it by experiments; so the first
swarm that issued was hived upon empty combs;
the next upon foundation ; and the third upon
frames with starters only. This order was con
tinued until fifteen swarms had been hived, when
the use of empty combs was discontinued as it was
only too evident that, as Mr. Heddon said, their use
 INTRODUCTION.
entailed a loss. From this time on, until the close
of the season, an equal number of swarms were
hived upon foundation and upon empty frames.
Circumstances prevented their alternate hiving,
which detracted somewhat from the decisiveness of
the experiment, but enough was proved to show
that, at least, with my methods, nothing was gained
by using foundation in the brood-nest, except for
starters, when hiving swarms. I have since con
tinued to carefully experiment by hiving swarms
alternately upon foundation and upon empty
frames, weighing both the surplus and brood-nests
at the end of the season and comparing results, and
the evidence has been in favor of empty frames
every time.
These experiments have, from time to time,
been given to the public through the various jour
nals, and many others have attempted to follow in
the same path. Some followed with no difficulty,
and even trod the path wider; while to others it
seemed so dim, or so filled with obstructions, that
they turned back to the beaten highway. It be
came evident that everyone could not profitably
dispense with full sheets of foundation in the brood-
nest when hiving swarms, without making some
changes in their fixtures or methods; that the non-
use of foundation was only one factor of the system
 INTRODUCTION. 7

I was using; and that, in order to succeed, that

system, or, at least, some parts of it, must also be
adopted. It likewise became apparent that the
system was really more complex than it appeared
upon the surface; also that a few short articles
scattered through different journals did not present
the subject in the best possible manner, and finally
Mr. A. I. Eoot suggested that I carefully prepare
an exhaustive article, taking in all the points neces
sary to secure all nice honey in the surplus arrange
ments. He also further suggested that the whole
would make a nice little pamphlet, and concluded
by saying: "Now friend W. Z. H. roll up your
sleeves and gives us this little book, you can do it
nicely we all know." So here I am, this 6th day of
January, with mysleeves rolled up —me«iaZZi/—clear
up to my shoulders, as I prepare to give my best
thoughts upon the problem of securing the most
first class comb honey with the least expenditure of
capital and labor.
W. Z. Hutchinson,
Rogersville. Mich.
 THE ^ZROIDTXCTIOIST

— OF —

COMB HONEY.

Seating Wori^rg to the Harvest.

It is possible to have a good now of honey and

yet secure no surplus. If the bees are weak in the
spring and the white clover harvest is early and
short, it simply puts the colonies in good trim, then
if basswood furnishes no honey, the season is
practically a failure, when it need not have been
had the bees been strong early in the season. How
to have the c Monies strong in numbers at the be
ginning of the harvest is well worthy of considera
tion.
Aside from food in abundance, warmth is the
one great thing needed to promote safe, early breed
ing. An ordinary colony will generate sufficient
heat to enable the bees to rear as much brood as
they can tend; the trouble is that so much of this
io THE PRODUCTION

heat is lost by radiation. Early in June. Dr. Whi

ting, of East Saginaw, once showed me a colony the
frames of which had been covered two weeks with
wire cloth, the purchaser not having come for the
bees when expected, and there was a loss of at least
two combs of brood as compared with colonies well
protected above the frames. One spring, at my re
quest. "Cyula Linswik" and her sister left one
colony packed until I arrived to buy part of their
bees. The next night was so cool that the bees in
the unprotected hives packed themselves away
snugly upon their brood, while in the chaff-packed
hive great masses of bee3 crawled out and hung
upon the outside of the division boards upon both
sides of the brood-nest. This colony was no
stronger than many of the others. I remember go
ing out one morning May 21st.- and finding the
mercury down to 32° and the snow flying; and
this was after three weeks of tine weather during
which considerable honey had been gathered and
the combs tilled with brood. The cool weather
lasted three days, and how the weaker colonies did
suffer! Some of them lost half their brood, and a
few died out-right. Had the bees been warmly
packed the damage would have been avoided, or, at
least, greatly lessened. Another year there was a
spell of cool weather in May during which the
 OF COMB HONEY. 11

mercury remained at about 35 ° nearly a week, and

some fair colonies actually starved ; the bees being
closely clustered upon their brood and unable, or
unwilling, to leave it to bring honey into the clus
ter.
Last spring the warm weather came quite
early, and continued so many days, that I finally
ventured to place my bees upon their summer
stands; but. knowing from sad experience, the
uncertainty of early spring weather. T packed the
hives in fine hay the same as for winter. As an ex
periment, two of the strongest colonies were left
unprotected. Unexpectedly, no very severe weather
followed, although there were many quite cool days
in which the bees were closely clustered in the un
protected hives. At such times, what a pleasure it
was to examine a colony that was protected. The
bees were never found clustered, but crawling
actively about all over the combs, while a puff of
smoke would drive them down an inch or two and
expose large quantities of sealed brood. When the
honey harvest came, a majority of the protected
colonies were actually stronger than the two left
unpacked.
Numerous instances like the above have con
vinced me that it will pay to protect bees with
packing as soon as taken from the cellar, and to
12 THE PRODUCTION
allow the packing to remain until the time has ar
rived for putting on supers.
If spring protection is so important that it is
advisable to pack the hives after taking them from
the cellar, it may be asked why not practice out
door wintering, then winter protection will answer
for spring, and the expense for a cellar and of carry
ing the bees in and out will be avoided? In the
first place, the saving in stores in cellar wintering
will pay for the expense four times over; and in
the next place, and of far greater importance, it is
only by the cellar method that the wintering of
bees can ever be reduced to a perfect system. By
a selection of natural stores, or better still, by using
sugar for winter stores, we can secure uniformity
of food, but it is only in the cellar or special reposi
tory that uniformity of temperature at a desirable
point can be maintained. Possibly our knowledge
of wintering bees will yet become so extended as to
enable us to keep them breeding in the cellar, dur-
the spring, until the danger of blizzards is so nearly
past that with a very shallow hive, like one section
of Mr. Heddon's hive, packing above the brood-neit
will be sufficient. Perhaps we may yet learn how
to keep them in the cellar, advantage msly, until no
protection will be needed, but as the majority of us
now winter our bees, they become restless as warm
 OF COMB HONEY. 13

weather comes on; and as a flight in the open air,

and a little freshly gathered pollen, honey and water
seems to act like a real charm, putting new life
into their veins, and encouraging brood rearing as
nothing else will, I believe it better to place them
upon their summer stands as soon as pollen can be
gathered in abundance; and, as we almost always
have "cold snaps" after this, I would protect them.
Spring protection need not be an elaborate nor
costly affair. A rim 2x3 feet in size, by 18 inches
deep, made of cheap, thin lumber, can be set over
the hive to keep the packing in place. Its front end
should rest upon the outer edge of a little bridge
placed in front of the entrance and resting upon the
bottom-board of the hive. Dry sawdust makes excel
lent packing, while the "litter" resulting from its
use is an advantage. Dry leaves, chaff, or fine hay
may be used. A shade-board will answer for a
roof ; and, as the front end of the packing box is
raised several inches, the water will run off the
back end. If the shade-boards are not water-proof,
then the best of the thin lumber should be picked
out before making the packing boxes, and some
roofs made; and they should be made in such a
manner that they will answer for shade-boards.
With this manner of packing, all the extras needed
are the little bridges, the packing material, and the
14 THE PRODUCTION

rims; and if the latter are only slightly nailed, they

can be knocked apart and piled up snugly out of the
way when not in use; or. by tacking a strip across
the two boards used for the sides of the rim, they
may be united and used for a shade-board.
Judging from my own experience and the re
ported experience of others, it is my opinion that
an experienced apiarist, having more time than
colonies, may, sometimes,by exercising great caution,
practice to advantage stimulative feeding, or
spreading of the brood, in the spring; but in a very
great majority of cases, if not in all cases, I think
it much better to simply see that the bees have an
abundance of sealed stores, then pack them up
warmly and let them alone.
With Mr. Heddon's new hive, 1 wait in the
spring until the one Section in which the bees are
wintered becomes fairly crowded with bees and
brood, then raise it and place beneath it another
section filled with comb. In this way there is no
loss of heat, and the bees gradually extend the
brood downward as fast as their inclination leads
them.
In regard to uniting weak colonies in the spring
I have finally concluded that better results will be
obtained by packing each by itself; then do the
uniting, if it is done, at the opening of the honey
harvest.
 OF COMB HONEY. 15

I would not tolerate for an instant any style

of super or surplus arrangement that requires more
than one tier of sections to fill it, or that will not
admit of that grand function, "tiering-up." For a
case without separators, Mr. Heddon's old style of
surplus case is, for cheapness and convenience,
simplyperfection ; and, were I certain that I should
never again wish to '-feed back" to secure the com
pletion of unfinished sections, I should unhesitat
ingly pronounce in its favor. In "feeding back,"
the bees are very much inclined to bulge the combs,
to build little knobs, leave correspor ding depres
sions, and t" get up some very fantastic styles of
brace-combs; and it is then, and then only, that,
with my system of management, the use of separa-
tors even approaches a necessity. To raise a crop
of comb honey as is usually done, that is, at the
close of the honey harvest, crate such sections as
are marketable, and extract the honey from the re
16 THE PRODUCTION
mainder, keeping the sections of comb to give the
bees a good "send off" the next spring—and I am
not at all certain that this isn't the best way—thpn
Mr. Heddon's old style of case is my preference. I
do not think the advantages of inversion, and of
using separators when 'feeding back," sufficient to
warrant the extra expense and manipulation neces
sitated by Mr. Heddon's new style of case; especi
ally so, as I have been able to largely overcome the
bulging of combs when "feeding back."

{Separator^.

These are needed when sections two inches

wide are used, or when they are to be glassed.
They are also needed with any system that does not
admit of "tiering-up;" because when sections are
removed singly, or by the wide-frame full, bulged
combs will be the result; unless an unprofitable
amount of manipulation is performed when the
spaces are filled with new sections. With wide-
frames, separators are eertainly a convenience; that
is, they furnish a "stop" against which to push the
sections, thus keeping them in line and their edges
 OF COMB^HONEY. 17
even withthe edge of the wide-frame. If "feeding
back" is practiced, separators are needed with any
system; unless the bee-keeper is an expert at "feed
ing back." and even then he must attend strictly to
business. It is only by the adoption of the "tier-
ing-up" method, in which a whole case of sections
is removed at one lime, that separators can be
abandoned with any hopes of success. I would
not, however, advise any one to adopt this system
simply to be able to dispense with separators, but
rather because of other greater advantages. Black
bees, or those having a dash of black blood in their
veins, are more inclined to build straight, true
combs without separators than is any variety of
bees I have tried. It is certain that separators do
not increase the yield of honey; and I wish I could
say positively, from carefully conducted experi
ments of my own, whether their use lessens the
honey crop. My experience with separators has
been slight, but, as I have used them, it has always
seemed, to draw it mildly, that the bees were just a
little prejudiced against them. I know that it is
far from advisable to humor bees in all their little
whims, in fact, it is often advisable to compel them
to work contrary to their wishes, but I do think
that what Mr. Heddon calls "present condition" has
much to do with their disposition to store honey. I
18 THE PRODUCTION
have seen bees "sulk" for days during a good honey
flow, simply because the present condition of
things was not to their liking. The presence of
separators increases the amount of empty space in
the supers, but it does not necessarily follow that
the aggregate amount of honey stored is correspond
ingly diminished.

It is impossible to say anything new upon this

subject, but a few old truths will bear repeating.
The 4j^x4^ pound section is the most popular size,
and bee-keepers have quite generally settled down
to its use. Seven to the foot is the width that suits
me best. A part of the sections I used during two
seasons were only \% inches wide. The combs
were a trifle straigliter, and, as they were thinner,
the honey was ripened and sealed a little sooner,
but I failed to discover that any more hovey was
secured; while the cost, manipulation, and danger
of breakage in shipping, were increased.
Appearance has, and always will have, a market
value. Mj own honey has been pronounced, by
 OF COMB BONEY. 10
dealers, as the finest they have seen; and has always
been sold at from one to four cents per pound above
the market quotations, simply because of its attract
iveness. Less than two weeks ago I sold my fall
honey for only one cent less per pound than the
same dealer was paying for white clover honey as
ordinarily put up. It was the clean, white, poplar
sections, combs free from travel-stain, and the
smooth, white, basswood shipping cases, that "did
the business." To have strictly first-class, "gilt
edge" honey, that will sell from one to three cents
per pound above market price, it is imperatively
necessary that it be stored in the whitest and
smoothest sections. The white poplar sections have
no equal in this respect; and, besides this, they do
not shrink or swell, nor become mildewed or dis
colored. My preference is the four-piece, dovetailed.
That "naughty corner" of the one-piece section is a
very disagreeable feature when separators are not
used. I am aware that there is a style of one-piece
section in which there is no "naughty corner," but,
aside from its peculiar, awkward appearance, it af
fords greater opportunity for propolization, while
the work of removing the propolis is greatly in
creased.
The time for putting on sections is, of course, at
the beginning of the honey harvest. By the honey
20 THE PRODUCTION
harvest is meant when the bees gather honey in
such quantities that they will store it outside the
brood apartment; which time arrives, in this locali
ty, with the yield from white clover. If the bees
have been wintered upon good food, in a cellar
where the long continued and intense cold could
not rob them of their vitality, and have been well
protected upon their summer stands during the
spring, the white clover will usually find them ready
for it. If it does not, I would unite the weak colo
nies or run them for extracted honey ; for, however
we may differ as to which are the best methods of
bringing it about, we all agree that, to raise comb
honey, the brood apartment must be crowded full of
bees and brood at the beginning of the harvest; and
when this result has been attained, one tier of sec
tions over the brood-nest is not too much room to
give at first. Sections containing partly finished
comb of the previous season, from which the honey
has been extracted, seem especially attractive to
the bees, and they will make a start in them much
quicker than if they had foundation only; in the
latter case, if the flow is light, the bees, especially if
Italians, will sometimes refuse to work in the sec
tions until actually crowded into them. At such
times, if the "present condition" can be changed by
the substitution of a case of sections filled with
 Of comb honey. 21
comb, it often makes nearly, if not quite, another
case of honey. This is the best answer I can give
to the query: "What shall we do with the unfinished
sections at the end of the season ?"

Tieriqg-Up.

When the first case of sections is partly finished

it is raised and another case placed between that
and the hive. At what stage of completion the
sections should be when a second case is added de
pends upon how crowded the bees are and the rate
at which the honey is coming in. I usually add a
case when the sections in the one next the hive are
from one-half to two-thirds completed. I have not
found it profitable to tier up sections more than
three case* high. As a rule, the upper case of sec
tions is ready for removal before it is necessary to
add a fourth; if it is not, and honey is coming in
rapidly, I would transfer it, bees and all, to some
weaker colony having a less number of cases, rather
than tier up four cases high. With any system in
which the sections are finished in close proximity to
the brood-nest, their removal is necessary soon after
 22 THE PRODUCTION
- completion to prevent soiling by the bees passing
over them directly from the brood-nest; but with
the tiering-up system the finished combs are so far
from the brood-nest that they remain unsullied un
til a whole case of finished sections can be removed
at once. During a regular ''honey shower," such as
we have sometimes here in Michigan, I have seen a
colony draw out the foundation in 28 sections and
fill them full of honey (and here is where 1 believe
foundation is very valuable) in less than three
days, and scarcely a cell would be sealed. To give
the bees another case of sections next the hive is
the work of- but a moment. What other system
will enable us to handle one of these "honey show
ers" with so little labor? At such times it may be
advisable to remove the upper case, after they have
been tiered up three high, even if there are one or
two unfinished sections in each corner; and when
crating have an empty case at hand in which to put
the unfinished sections, and when it is full place it
on a hive. I recollect shipping 1000 pounds of
honey one year, early in July, and from this amount
only fifty-six unfinished sections were taken. This
is, perhaps, a fair average until ihe end of the season,
when probably two thirds of the sections remaining
on ihe hive are unfinished. The proportion of un
finished sections could be greatly lessened, but I
don't think it would be profitable.
 Of comb honey.
To remove a case of sections, I have the smoker
in good trim, take off the cover and drive a perfect
deluge of smoke down among the bees. This starts
them out of the case at a lively rate, and before
they have time to get back I have the case off the
hive. The case is then tremulously shaken in front
of the hive until most of the bees are dislodged,
when it is taken to the honey house and set on end.
In a short time the few straggling bees will have
left the case and escaped by way of the windows.
If the shaking process is found too laborious, and
robbers are not troublesome, (and they will not be
until the close of the season) the cases may be lean
ed against the side of the hive, near the entrance,
when the bees will desert the case for the hive.
When robbers are troublesome, the "stragglers"
may be driven out with smoke and brushed off in
front of the hive.
And right here I wish to say another good word
in favor of the much-abused blacks. We all know
of their propensity to run off the combs when
smoked or handled, also with what ease they are
shaken from the comb*; well, these characteristics
are of great value as soon as we begin to manipu
late hives instead of frames. A case of sections, or
one section of Mr. Ileddon's hive, can be cleared
of black bees with one-half the time and labor re
24 < THE PRODUCTION
quired with Italians. One or two puffs of smoke,
and down go the blacks, leaving a case of sections
almost free from bees. For more reasons than one
give me black bees to raise comb honey.
Much more might be said upon surplus recep
tacles and their management, but I think it best to
hurry on to my main subject, viz. the "Non-use of
Foundation in the Brood Apartment when Hiv
ing Swarms," and would respectfully refer my read
ers to Mr. Heddon's book; ' Success in Bee-Culture,"
where they will find the subject I am now leaving
treated in a most thorough manner, by one who
knows whereof he speaks.

Hiving $Wm$ on Emptsi} doinbg.

Let the bees once get the start of the queen, by

clogging the brood-nest with honey, and that
colony becomes practically worthless for the pro
duction of comb honey; and the oft repeated advice
to make room for the queen by extracting the
honey is equally valueless, as the bees will re-fill the
combs the first thing they do. This explains why a
bee-keeper might better give away his empty combs
 OF COMB HONEY. 25

and even pay some one pretty well for taking them,
rather than use them in the brood-nest when hiv
ing swarms. When attempting, through the bee-
journals, to explain this point, some have said in
reply: "Of course this condition of affairs refers to
comb honey. Where one is working for extracted
honey, by all means give them empty combs, as a
new swarm will often fill a full set of combs solid
full of honey in less than three days." Yes, I have
many times hived a swarm upon eleven frames of
empty comb, each a foot square, and in three days
found every comb full of honey, with the exception
of a space, perhaps as large as my hand, in the
center of one of the middle combs, which was
occupied with eggs; and, were I raising extracted
honey, I should most certainly give a swarm all the
empty'combs it could fill, but not in the brood-nest.
The advantages to be gained, by allowing a newly
hived swarm to build its own combs in the brood-
nest, are fully as great in raising extracted honey as
in raising comb honey ; but in either case the queen
must be kept in the brood-nest by means of a queen-
excluding honey-board. Before a colony swarms
and the queen is having full swing in an established
brood-nest, the inducement for her to enter the
supers, in raising comb (not extracted) honey, is so
slight that, unless ihe brood-nest is very shallow,
26 THE PRODUCTION

Mr. Heddon's slatted, break-joint honey-board is all

that is needed between the brood-nest and the
supers:—in fact, it is preferable to a queen-ex
cluder—but when a swarm is hived in an empty
brood-chamber, over which is a super filled with
comb, or even foundation, the queen may make a
brood-nest of the super, unless restrained. The
combined wood and metal queen-excluding honey-
board is my favorite.

{living $MM$ on Foundation.

When a swarm is hived upon full sheets of

foundation, in a brood-nest so contracted that some
of the bees must enter the supers, and said supers
are filled with drawn, or partly drawn, comb, the
honey must from necessity be stored in the supers
until the foundation in the brood-nest can be drawn
out; and, even chen, having commenced work in the
supers, the bees will not desert them. Right here
comes in another important point in comparing
empty combs with full sheets of foundation, and I
have Mr. Heddon to thank for calling my attention
to it. Before the queen will lay in old combs, the
 OF COMB HONEY.
cells must be cleaned out and "varnished" until
they shine; and long ere this, especially if there is a
"deluge" of honey, they will be badly needed, and
will be used for storage. In other words, combs are
ready for honey before they are ready for eggs.
With foundation it is exactly the reverse, as the
queen will lay in cells so shallow that the bees will
not store honey in them. But there is only one
queen furnishing eggs, while hundreds and hun
dreds of busy, eager workers are pulling away with
might and main drawing the foundation out into
comb, and the time eventually comes when there
are thousands of empty .cells in the brood-nest.
Now nature has no greater abhorrence of a vacuum
than has a bee of an empty cell during a "flood" of
honey, and, although the general orders are "up
stairs with the honey," no cells in the brood-nest
are left empty very long. Especially is this true
with yellow Italians and a deep brood-nest.
28 THE PRODUCTION

Hiving $Wm$ on EgpfoJ Ynm%

By empty frames is not meant those that are

strictly empty, but those having starters of founda
tion three or four cells wide. For starters, founda
tion is worth much more than it costs ; perhaps, as
Mr. Heddon says, it is, for this purpose, worth $5.00
a pound; I should, however, do some pretty tall
thinking and experimenting before paying that
price; but, at several times its present price,
foundation is probably the cheapest and best comb-
guide.
If a swarm is hived upon frames with starters
only, the first step is, necessarily, the building of
comb. Xow, if a super filled with drawn, or partly
drawn, combs {not foundation) is placed over the
hive, the bees will begin storing honey in the
combs at the same time that comb-building is
begun below. If a queen-excluder keeps the queen
out of the supers, she will be ready with her eggs
the moment a few cells are partly finished in the
 OF COMB HONEY. 29
brood-nest, and, if the latter has been properly con
tracted, she win easily keep pace with the comb-
building. The result is that nearly all the honey
goes into the supers, where it is stored in the most
marketable shape, and the combs in the brood-nest
are filled almost entirely with brood.
The contraction of the brood-nest when hiving
swarms is a very important point in the profitable
production of comb honey. To rear the great army
of workers needed for the harvest there must be, in
the fore part of the season, a good sized brood-nest;
-not larger, however, than an ordinarily prolific
queen will keep well filled with brood—but when
the bountiful harvest has finally arrived, and been
ushered in by swarming, then we wish the now
existing workers to go into the fields, to gather in
the nectar and cure and seal it, instead of wasting
their iime, vitality and stores in rearing another
army of workers that will come upon the field
when the harvest is over and gone. Fortunately,
our desire and the bees' instinct are exactly parallel
in this instance. Give a swarm a large brood-nest
and the bees will fill it—partly with brood but
mostly with honey; put a swarm into a hive with a
small brood-chamber, allow the bees to build their
own combs therein, at the same time give them
access to a super furnished with comb, and they
30 THE PRODUCTION.
will fill the super with honey and the brood-nest—
slightly with honey but mostly with' brood. When
bees are hived upon empty frames, a small brood-
nest is imperatively necessary, otherwise, as just
explained, large; quantities of honey will be stored
therein; and when bees build comb in which to
store honey during a "honey-shower," they usually
build drone comb. They probably do this because
storage can thus be secured with the least expendi
ture of time, labor and material. With the Langs-
troth, and other deeper frames, the only way to
contract the brood-chamber is by means of "dum
mies*' placed at the sides of the apartment. Un
fortunately, this contracts the brood-nest in the
wrong direction, making it tall and thin when it
ought to be low and flat. Now, the glove fits not
the hand more neatly than Mr. Heddon's new hive
fits this system. Simply use one brood section
when hiving a swarm, put on a q"een-excluder,
then the supers from the old hive, and the brood-
nest is contracted to the proper size and most desir
able shape, and all is done without bringing in any
"dummies" or extra machinery. Before swarming,
both sections are used, giving plenty of room in
which to rear the needed workers.
No fairer question could be asked than: What
are the advantages of this svstem? In reply I will
 OF COMB HONEY. ai

say that, in the first place, the foundation is saved;

'but, although this is a great saving, it comes about
incidentally, as the non-use of foundation is only a
means to an end, and that is the profitable securing
of the greatest possible amount of honey in the
most marketable shape; leaving the brood-nest so
free from honey that no extracting is. needed when
the time comes for feeding sugar for winter stores.
To secure a perfect system of wintering, there
must be uniformity of stores. As a winter food
for bees, natural stores differ. Pure cane sugar is
not only unvarying in character hut it is equal, if
not superior, to the best honey; and, at present
prices, can be used at a profit. A little honey and
bee-bread in the outer corners of the combs may be
more beneficial than otherwise, as the bees will
Daturally cluster in the center of the hive where
the sugar is stored; and, if the temperature is kept
at the proper point, they will probably leave the
natural stores undisturbed until the approach of
spring prompts them to brood-rearing. Those who
for any reason do not wish to use sugar, may still
take advantage of this system by putting the un
finished sections back on the hives in time for the
honey to be carried down and stored in the brood-
nest for winter. Any sealed honey in the unfinished
sections must be uncapped before placing them on
32 THE PRODUCTION

the hives. As some may ask what is to be gained

by this management, I will explain that the num
ber of finished sections is increased thereby; in
other words, it enables us to virtually exchange the
honey in our unfinished sections for nearly its
weight in finished sections, leaving us the combs to
give the bees a "send off" in the spring; and, in my
experience, sections filled with comb are nearly as
valuable in the spring as finished sections of honey.
Another slight advantage to be gained by using
starters only in the brood-nest when hiving swarms
—and it may not be so very slight after all—is one
that comes under the head of what Mr. TIeddon has
termed ''present condition;" and is very clearly
described by Mr. Samuel Cushman, in an address
read at a E. I. Bee keepers' Association. Mr. Cush
man says: "There is anolher reason not generally
considered which favors the use of starters. When
bpes hang in festoons, secrete wax and build natural
combs, they are carrying out a natural instinct. Its
gratification stimulates their energy, and a colony
so managed will gather more honey than if not
allowed to build natural combs. The suppression
of this instinct, in a measure lessens energy, or
prevents developement of activity, and affects the
future usefulness of the bees."
 OF COMB HONEY. 33

The Building of Drone Comb.

As this appears to have been the great stum

bling-stone in the road to success with starters only
in the brood-nest when hiving swarms, it is of the
greatest importance to know why bees build drone
comb. I believe they are always actuated by one
of two motives; viz., to rear drones in it, or to
enable them to store hcney more rapidly. If I am
correct in my belief, the question naturally arises,
why, and under what conditions, do they rear
drones? They rear them only when they expect
there will be virgin queens to mate with them.
Before swarming, bees rear drones; and, if allowed
to build comb upon the eve of swarming, it is usually
drone comb, unless they already possess an abun
dance. Not only this, but drones are reared in it
immediately.
One year, just before swarming time, I inserted
an empty frame in the centre of each of twenty-
five colonies; and every frame was filled with drone
34 THE PRODUCTION

comb, and drones reared in almost every cell.

When these colonies swarmed, many of them were
hived upon empty frames, but. with the exception
of two that had old queens, none built drone comb.
Before they had swarmed they knew that drones
must be provided for the fecundation of the young
queens; after they had swarmed they not only had
a fertile queen, but no disposition to swarm, hence no
drones were reared, unless the queen was so old that
they had in mind her supersedure. When the drones -
hatched out in the parent colonies, the bees tilled
the combs with honey; and, although these combs
occupied central positions in the brood-nests, not
another drone was reared in thf m that season,
intense is the desire fer drones before swarming
that, if allowed no drone comb, the bees will rear
them in worker comb; after swarming, there is
no desire for drones, unless the queen is about to be
superseded. Many have reported that their newly
hived swarms built drone comb when their queens
were not old. True, but no droves were reared in it;
instead, it was filled with honey, which proves that
it was not bvilt for the purpose of learing droves,
but because honey was ccrrii g in rapidly ard the
bees could the more easily keep pace with the
gatheiing by building st< re or drone ci mb; hence,
the question now restlves itself into: W hy did
 OF COMB HONEY. 36
the bees store honey in the brood-nest instead of in
the surplus apartment? In my opinion it was be
cause sufficient inducements were not offered in
the supers. At the convention in Indianapolis,
Mr. Bingham said that bees, hived in an empty
brood-nest of ordinary size, would occupy and fill
it before they would go to work in a super furnished
with foundation and placed over said brood-nest.
Knowing that bees delight to work in a body, I
think Mr. Bingham may be correct. I do not, how
ever, hive my swarms in a brood-nest of ordinary
size, but in one contracted to five Langstroth
frames, or to one section of Mr. Ileddon's new hive;
hence, some of the bees must enter the supers.
Another thing; I never, at this time, put on supers
furnished with only foundation ; they are always
taken from the old hive, and usually contain 56,
sometimes 84, pound sections; and in these sections
are combs in all stages of growth, from foundation
upon which the bees have just commenced work to
sealed combs. Not only is there abundant room in
the supers, but these half-finished combs are a
great attraction for the bees; they furnish a place
for them to "put back" the honey they brought
with them, and only a little work is required to
make room in them for the honey that is gathered.
In this way the bees are induced to begin storing
36 TBE PRODUCTtOll
honey in the supers; and where they begin, there
they continue; thus there is no necessity, no desire,
to build other than worker comb in the brood-nest;
and as soon as any is built the queen is ready with
her eggs, and brood once started it is continued to
the bottom of the comb.
There may be no more fitting opportunity to
remark, parenthetically, that each swarm is hived
upon the stand of its parent colony, andtheHeddon
method of preventing after-swarming put in prac
tice; thus inducing all the field workers to make
their home in the hive where the sections are ; and
should the harvest be of short duration their work
is left in the most desirable shape. In other words,
there will be a greater proportion of finished sec
tions than there would have been had the workers
and sections been divided between two hives. If
the flow of honey continues until the young queen
has been laying two or three days in a colony that
has cast a swarm, I then contract the brood-nest
of this colony, and give it a case of sections filled
with foundation. With Mr. Heddon's new hive
this is very easily and quickly accomplished by
simply shaking the bees from one section of the
brood-chamber—the one containing the least honey
—and setting it away to be used the next spring,
when the brood-nest will need enlarging. The
 OF COMB HONEY. 37
combs in the removed section may require some
care to prevent damage from the bee-moth's larvae.
The section containing the most honey is chosen to
leave upon the stand because the bees of a colony
that has cast a swarm will "elevate" the honey from
the brood-nest to the supers as soon as the young
queen begins to be crowded for room.
But to return to drone comb. Some have re
ported that placing the frames very close together
would prevent its construction. It may have a
tendency in that direction, but it will not prevent it
when the bees wish to rear drones. I have been
able to remove every cause for the building of
drone comb, except that of aged queens. Of course
queens can be killed before they are old, and re
placed with young ones; but I don't approve of the
plan, as it necessitates too much labor—more, I
think, than is profitable, considering the small
amount of drone comb resulting from this cause.
It has been suggested that the use of drone founda
tion in the supers might remedy this difficulty, the
theory being that the possession of so much drone
comb in the sections gives the bees the feeling tbat
they have a "great plenty" hence they build no
more. I have never used drone foundation, but I
can think of only two objections to its use in
supers. Before a colony had swarmed, the queen
38 THE PRODUCTION
would seek the sections, unless there was an abun
dance of drone comb in the brood-nest, or a queen-
excluding honey-board was used. At the beginning
of the season the bees seem a trifle more ready to
enter the supers if the openings in the honey-board
are of gocd size, such as are found in Mr. Heddon's
slatted, break-joint, sink honey-board, but when
they can be given sections filled with drawn comb,
atfint,s.o attractive are these combs to the bees
that they dcn't let a queen-exchidirg honey-board
stand in their way. The capping over honey stored
in drone comb has a peculiarly, rough, uneven
surface; and while this beautiful, mottled appear
ance is exceedingly pleasing to my eye, it might
detract frtm the salability of the honey. While the
use of drone foundation in the supers may possibly
prove to be a ftctor in the solution of this problem,
I, at present, l new of no more piacticaI way of do
ing then to allow the tees to build what little drcne
comb they will as the result of superannuated
queens, (and, with me, this has never exceeded
three per cent.) then remove it the next sj rinj, re
placing it with full sheets of foundation, or worker
comb. The removed comb may be melted into
wax, or used for extracting purposes.
 OF COMB HONEY. 39

What $hall be uged iq the j&Gtsiong?

When bees are gathering honey slowly, the

natural wax secretion probably furnishes sufficient
material, and there is probably abundant time, for
the building of comb in which to store the honey.
As the flow of honey increases, the wax secretion is
increased by an increased consumption of honey.
Whether it is profitable to allow this increased con
sumption of honey depends upon the price of wax
compared with that of honey, and the amount that
is required of the latter for the production of the
former. But, as the flow of honey increases, a
point is finally reached where the bees cannot
secrete wax and build comb with sufficient rapidity
to enable them to store all the honey they might
gather. When this point is reached, and, possibly,
a long time before, it is profitable to use full sheets
of foundation in the sections. But the flow of
honey can be, and sometimes is, so increased that
the bees cannot keep pace with the bountiful har
40 THE PRODUCTION
vest, even with foundation in the sections, and
then, drawn combs would be an advantage. (It is
possible that it would be more profitable to keep so
many bees in one apiary that this latter point would
never be reached.) There are several methods of
securing empty comb for filling sections. One is
that of furnishing the bees with sheets of founda
tion, before the honey flow has come, and inducing
them to draw it out by feeding them. Another is
that of allowing them to build combs beneath the
brood-nest,—thus utilizing the natural wax secre
tion—then cutting out the combs and fitting them
into the sections. With this plan, any combs con
taining eggs must be left out of the hives until the
eggs have lost their vitality, while any that contain
larvae may be allowed to remain, or else given to
nuclei.
At the convention in Detroit, Mr. H. R. Board-
man said that he had allowed swarms to build their
own combs in the brood nest, then cut out the new
comb and used it in the sections instead of using
foundation. Any combs containing eggs were
allowed to lie upon the grass until the eggs lost
their vitality. Some bee-keepers have reported
that, by similar processes, they have secured so
much natural comb that but little foundation was
needed in the sections.
 Of COMB SONET.
I must confess that, to me, all this seems like a
great deal of "fussing," but we must remember that,
sometimes, "things are not what they seem." If
combs were cut into pieces exactly the right size
for filling sections, I believe I could fit the pieces
into sections as quickly as I could fasten in founda
tion; and there may be some way of very quickly
cutting oomb into pieces of the right size; or, better
still, we may learn how to profitably have comb
built, or have foundation drawn out before the
honey harvest, directly in the sections.
42 THE PRODUCTION

The i&ci'etion and Utilization of Wa^.

All through the working season wax is being

secreted to a greater or less extent. As Mr. Hed-
don says: "A clear understanding of the works of
evolution must, I think, convince one that, where,
for ages, comb building has, from necessity, gone
hand in hand with honey gathering, the secretion
of wax has now become a physical necessity; and,
if we do not give room and opportunity for comb
building, material for that purpose is wasted."
One year, as the honey season came on, Mr.
'John A. Buchanan allowed a colony to build combs
in a story placed beneath it. The frames were soon
filled with nice worker comb, and occupied with
brood. The queen, being kept busy filling the new
combs with eggs, left the upper story for the
storage of honey. So energetically did the bees
work under the stimulus of filling the space be
tween the entrance and the upper <*ombs, that they
were quite as far advanced at the first extracting as
 OF COMB HONEY. 43
were other colonies that had been given a full set of
combs.
In writing to Gleanings, Mr. E. E. Hasty says:
"In planning matters in my own apiary I consider
a pound of wax as the equivalent of about three
pounds of honey. I also heartily agree with the
idea, first advanced, I think, by Mr. Doolittle, that
much of the comb actually built in an apiary is
built at no cost at all in honey. Just as the blood
in an animal supplies material for the growth of
what hair he needs, and little or nothing would be
gamed by obviating it, so the blood of the bee
probably supports the growth of a moderate num
ber of wax scales without causing a special demand
for food."
It is my firm conviction that we have been los
ing a big thing in not ultilizing this natural wax
secretion. I am aware that when mucli comb is
being built, the secretion of wax is greatly increased,
but do we know that this increase is accompanied
by loss, provided there is no loss of honey from
lack of storage ? When bees are fed cane sugar
they can secrete about twice as much wax as when
fed honey, and the reason thut wax can be more
profitably «ecietf d during a flow of honey, is well
explained by Mr. P. L. Viallon. I quote from his
address, read before the North American Conven
44 THE PRODUCTION
tion, held at Cincinnati, in 1882: "Now as we
know from analysis that honey contains from 45 to
50 per cent, of grape sugar, we may account for the
different results between (cane) sugar and honey,
and I am certain that in a flow of nectar more wax
would be secreted from the same amount of
saccharine matter, as nectar is composed of from
55 to 60 per cent, of cane sugar, and contains no
grape sugar."
In my locality, and with my management, (and
I can see no reason why the same rules and laws
will not hold gond in other localities) I know that
the use of full sheets of foundation in the brood-
nest, when hiving swarms, is attended with loss;
and I do not think the matter stops here. I think
there are still more advantages to be gained by
utilizing the natural wax secretion, and it is possi
ble that it would be profitable to encourage wax
secretion and comb building. What is needed is, I
believe, an abundance of empty comb in the supers
at all times, and the bees at the same time allowed
to indulge in comb building.
 OF COMB HONEY. 45

fionclugioq.

In writing some parts of this little book I have

found but little experience with which to compare
my own, and, thac errors may be the more quickly
driven from its pages, I desire and request the
freest of criticisms; and let those who, for the first
time, adopt the methods herein advised, do so upon
no larger scale than that upon which they can
afford to meet failure; and if failure comes let
them report it, together with the accompanying
circumstances, and all will find me ever ready to ex
plain and defend my views, or, if necessary, ac
knowledge my errors.
My 19th Annual Catalogue and Price List of Italian,
Cyprian, and H<>ly Land
BEE& pHft NUCLEI, COLOHIEg, ■
AND APIARIAN SUPPLIES,
Will be sent Free to all Applicants.
H. H. BROWN, LIGHT STREET, COL. CO., PA.
PEIME cSS GOVE,
Manufacturers of
BEE KEEPERS' SUPPLIES,
White Poplar Sections. Clamps, Separators, Ship
ping Orates and Wocd Sides.
BRISTOL, VT. Iff Price List and Samples Free.

DUNHAM COMB FOUNDATION

FOB BROOD G HAM BERS,
Thin Bottom, High Side Walls, and about Six Square Feet
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For S\irp>l\is Boxes.
We are now prepared to furnish a large Amount of this Celebrated
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the Workmanship is VKKY FINE, so
that we feel sure that our goods
Will Give Perfect Satisfaction.
Every Bee Keeper should send for Samples of this Cele
brated Foundation. Address
F. (V. HOLMES. Cooperaville, Michigan.
 FOR MAKING BEE HIVES.

Read what J. I. Parent, of Charlton, N. Y. Says;

''We cut with one of your combined machines, last winter,
Fifty (."huff Hiv»s with Seve- -Inch Cap. Or e Hunched Honey
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MACHINES ON TRIAL IF DESIRED.
Proof of Va'iiH. Prices. Full Detail. Illustrated Catalogue Free.
Address W. F. & JOHN BAKNKS CO., 549 Kuby St. Rock-
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J. M. Jenkins, Wetumpka, Ala.,
Manufacturer of and Dealer in
Bee Hives, Honey Extractors, Sections,
Comb Foundation,
And Bee Keepers' Supplies in General.
ROOT'S* SIMPLICITY Hf-HIVE + A* SPECIALTY.
I am agent in THE SOUTH for A. I. BOOT, and sell his hives,
sections, extractors, etc., herk, at his list price.
Italian Queens and Bees for Sale.
SBTnTID for. price list.

Oliver Foster,
OF MT. VERNON, LINN COUNTY, IOWA-
Is EneagPd in Breeding
ITALIAN QUEENS AND BEES
For Honey and For Hale. Deals also in Standard Supplies.
The Adjustable Honey Case a Specialty.
It is the Best Adapted to Latest Methods. Send Five
Cents for Pamphlet:
"HOW TO RA'ISE COMB IX 0 3iTE"ZV*
^"CIRCULARS FREE. ~m
In this Glorious Eve of the 19th Century, the Watchword
is "EVER ONWARD." I Believe
3STO BEE HIVE,
Now before the public contains as many practical points for
the profitable production of honey as
Shirley's Contractible Hive.
It admits of the use of from one to ten frames, without extra
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For further information address
W. H. £HIELEY, - Kill Grtve, Allegan Co , Mich.
C. W. DAYTON, BRADFORD, IOWA,
Inventor ana Manufacturer of
APICULTURAL * IMPLEMENTS,
And Author of "Another Step in Advance."

ESTABLISHED I3ST 1866.

SEE SUPPLIES
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL.
We have thelarerest steam power shops in The west exclusively
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always on hand. Illustrated catalogue free to all. Address
E. KKETCHMEK, - COBURG, IOWA.

PELHAM'S PATENT MILLS,

FOR MAKING
comb ^OTTnsrnD^Tionsr,
Are used in every quarter nf the globe. Th»y are highly recom
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WRITE FOK CIRCULARS.
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 ilTTElTTIOIT.
SECTIONS, BEE-HIVES, HONEY BOXES, FRAMES, ETC.
Largest Factory in the World.
Best of goods at Lowest Prices. Write for Illustrated Catalogue.
G. B. LEWIS & 00., - WATERT0W¥, WIS.

PHOTOaBAPHS
Of noted bee keepers and writers for the bee-journals, such
as Heddon, Hutchinson, Miller, Tinker, Cutting, Newman, As-
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Cook, and many others never before published. One hundred
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APARIAN SUPPLIES
MANUFACTURED BY
W. T. FALCONER, - JAMESTOWN, N. Y.,
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The "Falcon" Brand of Foundation.
Will pay the highest market price for beeswax. Dealer in a
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PRICES ALWAYS REASONABLE.
HEDDON'S NEW HIVE.
This Hive is Strikingly
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And is being endorsed and adopted by the
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of this country If you wish to know what Prof. A. J Cook,. Dr.
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TO
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EGGS FOR HATCHING.

I take pride in caring for and breeding the varieties adver

tised, and feel that all entrusting their orders to me will get
healthy, well bred stock.

The HOUDANS ar? one of che most valuable breeds raised.

Plumage whi e spangled with black. They possess the non-sit
ting qualities of the' Leghorn, are a thiid larger, have a crest,
and a triple comb. They are excellent table fowls the flesh being
of the finest quality. Taey are great layers, of large, handsome
white eggs. The chicks are hardy, feather early, and mature
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WYANDOTTES are a new breed, but they have already

gained great popularity. They are handsome, compact birds,
good layers and sitters, mature early and areagrand table fowl.
I have a fine flock of nicely marked birds. Eggs $1.50 per 13.

are the largest of the ducks. As layers they are not equaled by
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creamy white feathers, which are as valuable as geese feathers.
They cannot tty or climb fences any more than a mud-turtle.
Their eggs haich well, ducklings are thrifty andihardy, mature
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$1.50 per 13.
I will send 39 eggs for $4 . no, 05 for $6.00. All eggs fresh
and true to name. 1 pack carefully and securely in new baskets,
so as to carry safely any distance with lowest express charges.
A. T. COOK,
Clinton Hollow, Dutchess Co., N. Y.
A. Year Among TTie Bees.
Being a talk ahout some of the Implements, Plans and Practices
of a Bee-Keeper of 25 years' experience, who has for
eight years made ihe Production of Honey
his Excl'-^ive Business.
A BOOK OF 114 PAGES WELL PRINTED AND NEATLY BOUND IN CLOTH.
l>r. J P. H. Brown says: It bridges over a big vacancy in
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Price 75 Cts. Sent Post-Paid by the Author, Dr, C. C Miller, Marengo, III.
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KEITTOIT, OSIO,
Are Beady for all Orders for Bee Hives, Sectkros, Etc.
ST3ZSJ3D XJS A. TRIAL ORDER.

Circumstances alter cases, and we ask you not to decide in

favor of friend Hutchinson's conclusions, which you have
read in this book, until you try a few hives with

FULL SHEETS OF FOUNDATION,

FROM THE FACTORY OF

Chas. Dadant & Son,

HAMILTON, HANCOCK GO , ILLINOIS.
Send Postal Card for Sample Free.
Bee-Keepers' Guide;
Or MANUAL OF THE APIARY.
13,000 Sold Since 1876, 14th Thousand Just Out. 10th
Thousand Sold in Just Four Months* 5.000
Sold Since May. 1883.
More l> an 50 pages, and more than 50 fine illustrations were
added in the 8th edition. The whole work has been thoroughly
revised, and contains the very latest in respect to bee keeping.
It is certainly the fullest and most scientific work irenti.jg of
bees in th .world Price, by mail. $.1.25. Liberal discount to
dealers and :o clubs.
A. J. COOK, Author and Publisher,
Agricultural College. Michigan.

Send for iuj circular giving defect ipiiuu oi u.e latent and
Best Section-Case and Skeleton Honey-Board Combined.
Pure Italian Bees and Queens; two. three- and four frame nuclei,
and full colonies. Rearing » f Flue
QUEENS FROM IMPORTED AND HOME BRED MOTHERS
A SPECIALTY. Address
 If You are Expecting to

I^ai^e HoneiJ at present BJai^efc prices,

You had better send a two-cent stamp for my prices on
BEES SUPPLIES.
THOMAS GEDYE, Lock Box 053, La Salle, La Salle Co , III.

Complimentary Card.
In Canada and England and other European Countries Bing
ham Bee Smokers and Bingham & Heiherington Uncapping
Knives are the only stj-les of their kind copied by supply dealers,
thus showing in whai light our goods arc held where supply
makers have no interest excrpt to make the best. Send cam for
descriptive circulars lo
BINGHAM & HETHER1NGTON, ABORNIA, MICH.

EARLY QUEENS.

IF YOU WANT ITALIAN QUEENS, OF THE

BEST STEiillTS,
In April, May or June,
SEND TO
"W- J. ELLISON,
Stateburg, Sumter County, South Carolina.

Bee-Hives and Fixtures for Sale.

M. ^ S. ^ ROOP.
(SUCCESSOR TO A B. HOWE.)
M.A.iT-crF.A.c'X'crxsEia of
APIARIAN SUFFLIES, EEE HIVES, tXlFACHRS, StCUCKS, CCMB FCUNCATION,
and Smokers, and Dealer in
BEES HONEY,
Corner North 6th and Mill Streets, Council Blunt*, Iowa.
t^-SENU POSTAL CARD FOR PRICE LIST.

SOUTHERplVE FACTORY AND APIARY.

HIVES, SECTIONS, FRAMES, FGUNDAT10N. ETC., UNO ITALIAN QUEENS.

Imported and Home- Bred,
A. T * BOTTOM # PRICES.
Catalogue sent on Application. Address
J. P. H. BROWN, - - AUGUSTA, GA.
I88O- ■ -•- ■ las?.

In the North for the Manufacture of

First Premium at the Michigan State Fair on my White

PopTar and Basswood
ONE-PIECE SECTIONS.
Section Boxes Lower Than Ever. Dealers, Write for my Whole
sale Prices of Sections and Foundation. All Founda
tion made on the Vandervort mill.
REDUCED PRICE LIST JUST OUT.
Send me your name and address and get samples and prices.
A. D. D. WOOD, Rive's Junction, Mich.
 Kaler's Swarming Box,
Something that every bee-keeper ought
to have.
NEVER TAILS TO DO THE WOEK.
Quickly and well done. Constructed on
a new plan Holds frame and comb for
queen and bees to cluster on. Made of good
material, and to fit any frame.
Heady for use $1. Extra Boxes 50c.
Send for descriptive circular. In order
ing give name of hive and size of fiame.
Send orders to
T*7-. S. KALEE,
Dealer in
P, I Chickens Italian Bees and Pure German Carp,
ANDERSONVILLE, INDIANA.

3KEHBEES OE HONEY,
we will with pleasure send a sample copy of the "Semi-Monthly
Gleanings in Ber Culture.*1 with a descriptive pt ice-list of Infest
improvement" in flives. Honey-Extractors. Comb Koundaiion,
Section Honey-Boxes, all boob's and journals, and everything
pertaining to Bee Culture. Nothing Patented. Simply send
your address plainly writ en to A. I. ROOT, Medina, Ohio.

Italian. Queens.
Tested Queens before June i5th $1 50
" af.er .. " 1 28
Untested " before " " 1(0
" " alter " " 76
Six for $4.00, twelve for S7.75.
Queens bred from best imported and selected tested native
bred queens, and guaranteed to be as fcood as the best. Bees by
the pound, same prices as untested queens.
I. Tl. GOOD, NAPPANEE, IINID.
 NORTHERN HEADQUARTERS
FOR BEES BYTHE POUND
Or in the brood by the 1.000. or two. three, or four comb nuclei.
FINE ITALIAN QUEENS A SPECIALTY.
Prices Low. Pix years* experience in celling bees ami queens.
Hundreds of customers and I a>n*t think ihere is a dissatisfied
one among them. Circulars and price list free
S. C. PERRY, Portland, Ionia Co., Mich.

Louis "\7V©r:n.©r%
PROPRIETOR OF
HILL SIDE APIARY,
EDWARDSVILLE, ILLINOIS.
Breeder of fine Premium Italian Bees and Queens. My Bees
and Queens were awarded first premium at the late St. Lo'iis
Fair. fcSTSEND FOR CIRCULARS.

M.® H. * HUNT,
Manufacturer of and Dealer in

Bfurttiie kbW ii tli Apiary.

Beautiful Sections,
Comb Foundation,
Alsike Clover Seed, &c.
BELL BEANCH, WAYNE CO., MICH.
(NEAR DETROIT)
SEND FOR FREE PRICE LIST.
We are the Largest Manufacturers of Comb Foundation
in the West,
OUR SALES ARE THOUSANDS OF POUNDS YEARLY,
Yet we never hear one word of dissatisfaction from any of our
customers. Special attention given to the manufac
ture of all kinds of '

Bee Hives and Frames.

ITALIAN QUEENS AND BEES

In their Season; Wholesale and Retail.

PRICE LIST FREE TO ALL.

Only send your name and address plainly written on a
postal card to

IK. IB. X-ZH-A-HTT,

HIGGINSVILLE, - Lafayette Co., Mo.

PLEASE STATE WHERE YOU SAW THIS ADVERTISEMENT.

 We make a specialty of the manufacture of dovetailed sec
tions of the white poplar, the whitest and nest wood for the pur
pose. We make all styles and sizes, but recommend the side open
ing section as superior to any other. The great accuracy and
fine finish of our sections is the admiration of everybody. Sam
ples three cents. Price list of supplies free. Address
DR. G. L. TINKER, New Philadelphia, Ohio.

Beautiful Poultry, Superior Bees, and Pet Stock

Friends, if you are interested in the above it will pay you to
s?nd for my circular giving low prices I breed Lnced Wyan-
dottes, P. Rocks, R i '. B. Leghorns. Ferrets. Jacobin Pigeons.Eng
lish and Angora Rabbits, and Fine Italian Hees and Queens.
I have 1850.00 worth of Bees and stock to give you FEEE.
SEND FOB ILLUSTRATED CIRCULAR.
F. BOOMHOWER, - GALLUPVILLE, N. Y.

Patent Wired and Thin Fist Bottom

COMB FOUNDATION
HAS NO SAG IN BROOD FRAMES, AND
No "Fish Bone" in Surplus Honey.
For Uniformity in Cleanliness, Weight and ' olor
IT HAS NO EQUAL,
And is generally worked quicker than any other Foun
dation made.
J. van rjETTSinsr sc sons,
Sole Manufacturers, Sprout Brook, Mont. Co., N. Y.
[^CIRCULARS AND SAMPLES FREE.
CHAS. F. MTJTH & SON,
ci3srciisrisrA.Ti, ohio,
— Dealers in

Manufacturers of and Dealers in

l[ath'g + poqe^ + Extract of

And Uncapping Knife,

PERFECTION COLD BLAST SMOKERS,

Square Glass Honey Jars,

Lang&troih See Hives, Honey Sections, Comb Foundation,

And a Variety of Bee Keepers' Supplies.

JtipCatalogue Mailed on Application.

SEND TEN CENTS IN STAMPS FOR
"Practical Hints to Bee Keepers."
BETSINCER'S COMB SEPARATOR,
1 ! - ; i ! i . . 1 : ' i i i i
1 1 M i 1 1 M 1 1 i II 1 1 1 1 1 1
~l 1 1 ! 1 ! ! 1 1 1• ''til
1 i 1 ' 1 1 1 1 1 1
_Li_ 1 MM: ' 1 !, 1, , i i
1 Mill i i- i i i ' i 1
i i i i 1 i 1 ;
— +H 1 ! t 1 ! i 1 : " i ; ! ' i
1+ i i i i i i ! ' ' " I I
i M i , 1 1 1 1 1 i , i I I MIL -
FIGURE I, PATENTED SEPT. 14, 1886.
Fig. 1 gives some idea of the wire cloth separator. The mesh
is }A inch, and the wire is galvanized after ft is woven, which
solders it firmly together and prevents rust. The advantages of
this separator are many, and with it I challenge the world in pro
ducing comb honey.

FIGURE 2, PATENTED SEPT. 14, 1886.

Fig. 2 is a view of the section supporting bar. The sections
used are of the same width all around, and readilv find their
place between the raised projections upon the supporting bar,
where they are held bee-space from the separators, thus admit
ting the bees in every conceivable direction throughout the
whole case.
The sale of these separators and supporting bars will be
strictly confined to mvself and agents. For the small sum of
$3.00 a cert ificate will be pent entiiling- the holder to the right to
use said patents in bis apiaries. Parties using these pa'ents
without permission will be charged double rates. For full par
ticulars send for descriptive circular. Special offer given to
manufacturers nf supplies. Correspondence Solicited.-^
Prices—Wire Cloth Separator, cut anv desired size, ready
for use. Eierht Cents per square foot. l Section supporting bars,
83.00 per hundred.
N. N..BETSINCER, PR0PRIET0RI0F[PARAOIS£ APIARIES,
MARCELLUS, ONONDAGA CO., N. Y.
ft wm mm ws lies.
BelDg a talk about some of the Implements, Plans and Practices
Of a Bee-Keeper of 25 3*ears' experience, who has for
eight years made the Production of Honey
his Exclusive Business.

:B~sr jdtz. a. a.

Price, 75 Cts., by Mail.

This is a new work of about 114 pages, well-printed and
nicely bound in cloth. Address,
THOS. Gk aSTE-WlvI-A-HXr &C SCOST,
923 & 985 West Madison Street, CHICAGO, ILL.

BEES AND HONEY,

OR THE
MANAGEMENT OF AN APIAEY EOE PLEASUEE
AND PEOFITj BY
THOS. Or. NEWMAN.
Editor of the American Bee Journal.
It contains 230 profusely illustrated pages, is fully **up with
the times" in all the improvements and inveniions in this rapidly
developing pursuit, and presents the apiarist with everything
that can aid in the successful management *f the honey-bee. and
at the same time produce the most * oney in its best and most
attractive condition. Bound in cloth, $1.00, postpaid.
THOS. G. NEWMAN & SON,
923 & 985 West Madison St., - CHICAGO, ILL.
 THE GREAT $ WEEKLY.

Tjje (Janadiaq Bee Journal.

J0NE3, MAOPHERSOX & 00., Publishers,

BEETON, * ONTARIO, * CANADA.

D. A. JONES, .... Editor.

This is the'only Bee Journal published in Canada. It makes

a volume of 1.040 pages in one >ear, and contains much valuable
and interesting matier each week from the pens of leading
Canadian and United States Bee-Keep-rs. It enjoys a large
circulation in the United Siates as well as in Canada. Printed
as it i-i on nice toned paper, it makes in one year a valuable book,
full of *' up to-ihe-tinies " matter. Sample Copies on Keceipt
of Address.
binders holding just 53 numbers, with name of journal
printed on the back in gold letteis. Price, by mail, 55 Cents.
These are not admissible in the U. S. mail from Canada.

The Bird's Eye View of Bee-Keeping.

BY REV. WM. F. CLARKE,
Formerly Editor of American Bee Journal and Ex-President of
North American bee-Keepers' Society.
Practical, * Instructive, * Interesting.
PRICE, POST-PAID, 25 CENTS.
ClubbPd with THE CANADIAN BEE JOUBN'AL $1.15 to any
address either in Canada or the U. S. American Currency
and stamps accepted at par. Make all money
orders pay able to
JONES, MACPHERSON & CO., Beeton, Out., Canada,
 The only self-reversing, as well as strongest and most per
fect extractor in the market. All combs reverse at once:en
tirely by their own weight the instant the motion stops.
The " Automatic " challenges the world for a machine to do
one-third the amount of work within a given time, and for one
that will carry ail kinds of combs as safely.
No trouble to extract from new combs made on foundation,
the first time filled, whether wired or not. It is a perfect ma
chine to extract from sections.and for this reason is far ahead of
all other extractors for those running their bees for comb honey.
Do not buy a cheap, worthless extractor, and try to think
. that it will answer when a good one that will do the work perfect,
and last a life-time, can be had for a few dollars more.
 bo not try to sell your old extractor to a neighbor, before he
sees the " Automatic." but use your old one for an uncapping
can, and get your neighbor to send with yon for another "Auto
matic," and ten per cent, discount will be allowed on both.
SPECIAL INDUCEMENTS
to those who have bought an "Automatic." All parties who
now have an Automatic Extractor will be allowed a discount of
10 per cent, on the next one they order.
Improvements for 1887.
The " Automatic " will be made with steel castings made by
the new process of what is called " flexible steel," and the work
manship will be very much improved.
Bingham Smokers and Honey Knives.
I am wholesale arid retail agent for the original Bingham
Smokers and B & H. Honey Knives, and can furnish them in
any quantity at Bingham's prices. In shipping an Extractor,
from one to fifty smokers or knives may be sent inside without
increasing the freight charges, as the machine is billed at 100
pounds.
SIEINT ID FOR NEW CIRCULAR
with long list of unsolicited testimonials from those who have
used the Automatic Extractor. Address

G. W. STANLEY,
WYOMING, - - NEW YORK.

1 Fully Warrant every Extractor to leave my shop in perfect

order as I work in the shop and assist in putting up every ma
chine that goes out. All goods delivered F. O. b. at Wyoming.
G-. W. STANLEY.
 Hastings' Perfection Bus Mil
PAT. applied -FOR. The undersigned, a prac
tical apiarist, seeing the
need of a Feeder, and af
ter two years study
experimenting, hau andin
vented one that has all the
necessary requirements
of a perfect Feeder.
After a trial of the
Perfection you will use
no other, for the follow
ing reasons:
ist. The supply of food
can be perfectly regula
ted.
2nd. Bees cannot be
drowned or chilled in
reaching the food.
3rd. For stimulating
purposes it cannot be
surpassed.
4th. Bees can be ffd
at all seasons of the year
without being disturbed or any loss of heat, as the Feeder is di
rectly over the brood ehamb°r, and food is taken from the bot
tom (all others feed fro-n top.)
5th. It prevents robbing, and honey will not sour.
6th. It can be used as well for^n entrance feeder if so desired,
by the audiiion of a bottom especially adapted for the work.
SEND I OR SAMPLE BY MAIL POSTAGE PAID.
Four-pound Feeder 50 cts. | Six-pound Feeder 60 cts.
Per dozen $-i iO | Per dozen $4.50
Entrance attachments rive cents each.
Address M. E. HASTINGS, N. Y. Mills, Oneida Co., N. Y.

W. Z. HUTCHINSON,
ROGERSVILLE, GENESEE CO., MICH.
Can furnish Italian Queens and Bees, Bee-Hives, Surplus
Cases, Jiee-Feeders, White Poplar Sections, Given
Foundation, Etc., Etc.
»-SEND FOR PRICE I_iIST.
"jSncceft in Bee-dulta."

A new book by Jakes Heddon that every bee-keeper who wishes

to make his calling pay should read.
UNPRECEDENTED SALE OF

2,000 COPIES WITHIN EIGHT MONTHS.

Some idea of its aim and scope may be obtained from the
following table of contents:
Introduction— Preface—Bee Keeping as a Business—Natural
History—Physiology—Varieties of Bees—Value of Bees—Bees on
Shares—Subduing Bees—Increase—Queen Bearing—Italianizing
—Transferring—Fertile Workers—Feeding—Robbing—Bee Ene
mies—Overstocking— -Artificial Pasturage—Comb or Extracted
Honey—Adulteration—Marketing—Apiarian^ Supply Trade—Pat
ents—Adopting Apiculture—Books and Periodicals.
These chapters are written tersely and pointedly, yet suffi
ciently comprehensive. Longer and more elaborate chapters
follow on Apiarian Implements, Wintering, and Hives.

Price of Book, Post Paid, By Mail, 50 Cents.

JAMES HEDDON,
DOWAGIAC, - - - MICHIGAN.
The Oldest tfee^IJ Bee-papei1 in the tforli

ESTABLISHED 11ST 1881-

THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL,

Devoted Exclusively to Bee-Culture,
Ih the Recognized Leading Bee-Periodical in America

OjlE DOLLAR A YEMJ, Ijl IfllkpL

A Sample Copy Free, Upon Application.

The most successful and experienced bee-keepers in the

World comprise its Corps of Contributors, and it is continually
advancing progressive ideas upon the various topics of modern
scientific Bee-Culture.

PTJBLISHEn

THOS. G. NEWMAN & SON,

923 & 925 West Madison St., CHICAGO, ILL.

 This book may be kept
FOURTEEN DAYS
A fine of TWO CENTS will be charged
for each day the book is kept overtime.

Demco 291-B5