Fig. 42.
Fig. 42.
Fig. 43.
Fig. 43.
Place such frames side by side till a box is made of the desired length. To hold these together, we have now only to tack on either side one or two pieces of tin, putting a tack into each section, thus forming a compact box without ends. The end frames should have a whole piece of lath for the bottom, and grooves should be cut in the bottom and top laths, so that a glass may be put in the ends. Of course there is ample chance for the bees to enter from below. Now, by placing small pieces of comb, or artificial comb foundation, which ranks as a discovery with the movable-frame hive and honey-extractor, on the top of each frame (Fig, 43), the bees will be led to construct a separate comb in each frame, and each frame may be sold by the retail dealer separately, by simply drawing the tacks from the tins. Barker and Dicer, of Marshall, Michigan, make a very neat sectional honey-box, which is quite like the above, except that paper pasted over the frames takes the place of the tins. These, too, have wood separators as used and sold by the gentlemen named. The honey-boxes may be placed directly on the frames, or in case the queen makes trouble by entering them to deposit eggs—a trouble which I have seldommet, perhaps because I give her enough to do below—we can plaice strips one-fourth of an inch square between the frames and boxes. In case we work extensively for box honey, we should have a rack or crate so made that we can remove all the boxes at once; in which case to examine the bees we would not have to remove all the boxes separately.
Honey in boxes, unless they consist of sections as just described, cannot compete with honey in small frames, in our present markets, and without doubt they will fall more and more into disfavor. In fact, there is no apparatus for securing comb-honey that promises so well as these sections. That they are just the thing to enable us to tickle the market is shown by their rapid growth in popular favor. Three years ago I predicted, at one of our State Conventions, that they would soon replace boxes, and was laughed at. Nearly all who then laughed, now use these sections. They are cheap, and with their use we can get more honey, and in a form that will make it irresistible.
The wood should bewhite, the size small, from four to six inches square, the sections capable of being glassed, at least on the faces, not too much cut off from brood-chamber, cheap, easily made, and so arranged as to be put on or taken off the hiveen masse.
Fig. 44.
Fig. 44.
The style of section which I think will soon replace all others, is easily made, as follows: For a section four inches square take a strip ofclean, whiteveneer—cut from basswood, poplar or white-wood—such as is used to make berry-boxes, two inches wide and twenty inches long; for larger sections make it proportionally longer. Make a shallow cut every four inches at right-angles to the sides—though they will do this, if asked to, at the factory. Now with a chisel (Fig, 44) four inches long, with one-eighth inch projections at right-anglesto the main blade, cut out sections on the opposite edges of the main strip—which will leave openings one-eighth inch by four inches, between the first and second shallow cut and the third and fourth. We now bend this around a square block (Fig, 45) which will just fill it, letting the ends over-lap, and drive through these over-lapping sections one or two small wrought brads on to an iron, (Fig, 45,b) set into the block, by which they will be clinched. Or, by using glue, we may dispense with the block. Now, if your market requires glassed sections, or if you wish to insert dividers, either tin or wood, glue posts one-fourth of an inch square, four in each section along the uncut sides one-eighth inch from the edges. The ends of these will just come flush with the gouged edges above and below. Now, by use of tins such as are used to fasten window-glass, these can be glassed, or if desired, each one can receive a tin or wooden separator.
Fig. 45.
Fig. 45.
If this gluing in of the pieces is thought too troublesome, we may still achieve the same end by using tin separators in our crates, and then glass our sections by cutting a square glass, just the size of the section, outside measure, and with heavy white paper paste two of these glass to the sections. This makes each section perfectly close, and is the method devised by Southard and Ranney for practice the coming season. A paste made of dextrine, tragacanth, or even flour, will answer to fasten the strips of paper, which need not be more than one inch wide. A little carbolic acid, or salicylic acid in solution, will keep the paste from souring.
Every apiarist can make these sections for himself, and thus save freight and profits of making. They are neat, very cheap—costing but two mills each—and are made strong by use of the glued posts. They are also light. Very soon our customerswill object to buying wood and glass, if our unglassed sections of comb-honey are kept in close glassed crates.
Fig. 46.
Fig. 46.
The Hetherington brothers make a very neat section, as follows: The top and bottom are each two inches wide, of one-quarter inch white pine. These receive a groove one-eighth inch from the ends, which receives the sides, one inch wide and one-eighth inch thick, which is pressed through to a central position and glued. This section is five and a half inches square. They use wooden dividers (Fig, 46,a) one-eighth of an inch thick, as long as the section, but one inch less in height, so that below and above is a half-inch space, which permits the bees to pass readily from one section to another. These are held by a half-inch strip of tin (Fig. 46,b, b), which passes through a groove (Fig. 46,c) in the ends of the dividers, and reaches half an inch farther; then turns at right-angles and ends in a point (Fig. 46,b), which, when in use, sticks into the top or bottom pieces; and so the four points hold the dividers in place. When ready to sell, they insert half-inch glass in the grooves each side the narrow side-pieces, and with tins fasten glass on the faces, and have a very handsome section. I think this preferable to the Russell or Isham box or section, as the one-inch strip of wood covers the part of the comb where it is fastened to the sides, which is never attractive, while the rest is all glassed. Such sections were praised in New York and Cincinnati last season as very fine and neat; equal, if not superior, to all others.
Fig. 47.
Fig. 48.
A. I. Root prefers sections made as are children's toy-blocks, the sides fastened by a sort of mortise and tennon arrangement (Fig, 47). I have received from Mr. James Heddon a similar section, but neater and more finished, which is made in Vermont. These are too complex to be made without machinery, are no better for their fancy corners—in fact, they are not as strong as is desirable—and, as we cannot afford to purchase our apparatus when we can as well make it ourselves, I cannot recommend them for general use.
The Phelps-Wheeler-Betsinger sections (Fig, 48) are essentially the same. The top and bottom are a little more narrow than the sides, and are nailed to them. The Wheeler sections-invented and patented by Mr. Geo. T. Wheeler, Mexico, New York, in 1870—are remarkable for being the first (Fig, 52,K) to be used with tin separators (Fig, 52,M). Instead of making the bottoms one-quarter of an inch narrower for a passage, Mr. Wheeler made an opening in the bottom, as does Mr. Russell.
There are two methods, each of which is excellent, and has, as it well may, earnest advocates—one by use of crates, the other by frames.
I prefer this method, perhaps because I have used it most. These frames (Fig, 49) are made the same size as the frames in the brood-chamber, except that they are made of strips two inches wide, and one-fourth of an inch thick, though the bottom-bar is a quarter of an inch narrower, so that when two frames are side by side, there is one-fourth of an inch space betweenthe bottom bars, though the top and side pieces are close together. The sections are of such a size (Fig, 50,K) that four, or six, or nine, etc., will just fill one of the large frames. Nailed to one side of each large frame are two tin strips (Fig, 50,t, t′) as long as the frame, and as wide into one inch as are the sections. These are tacked half an inch from the top and the bottom of the large frames, and so are opposite the sections, thus permitting the bees to pass readily from one tier of sections to another, as do the narrower top and bottom-bars of the sections, from those below to those above. I learned of such an arrangement of sections from A. I. Root.
Fig. 49.
Fig. 49.
Captain Hetherington tells me that Mr. Quinby used them years ago. The tin arrangement, though unlike Mr. Wheeler's (Fig, 52,M), would be readily suggested by it. It is more trouble to make these frames if we have the tins set in so as just to come flush with the edge of the end-bars of the frames, but then the frames would hang close together, and would not be so stuck together with propolis. These may be hung in the second story of a two-story hive, and just so many as to fill the same—my hives will take nine—or they can be put below, beside the brood-combs. Mr. Doolittle, in case he hangs these below, inserts a perforated division-board,so that the queen will not enter the sections and lay eggs. I used them very successfully last summer without division-boards, and neither brood nor pollen were placed in a single cell. Perhaps wider tins would prevent this should it occur. In long hives—the "New Idea"—which I find very satisfactory, after several years' trial, especially for extracted honey—I have used these frames of sections, and with the best success. The Italians entered them at once, and filled them even more quickly than other bees filled the sections in the upper story. In fact, one great advantage of these sections in the frames is the Obvious and ample passage-ways, inviting the bees to enter them. But in our desire to make ample and inviting openings, caution is required that we do not over-do the matter, and invite the queen to injurious intrusion. So we have Charybdis and Scylla, and must, by study, learn to so steer between, as to avoid both dangers.
Fig. 50.
Fig. 50.
These are to use in lieu of large frames, to hold sections, and are very convenient when we wish to set the sections only one deep above the brood-chamber. Though, if desired, wecan place one rack above another, and so have sections two, and even three deep.
Fig. 51.
Fig. 51.
Fig. 52.
Fig. 52.
Southard and Ranney, of Kalamazoo, use a very neat rack (Fig, 51), in which they use the thin veneer sections which we recommend as superior to all others for the general apiarist. They have used these with excellent success, but without separators, which they wish to insert. Perhaps by taking out the board partitions (Fig, 51,B, B), and putting tin separators the other way across, they would accomplish their object. In this case, the ends of the adjacent sections would not be separated, and the width of the rack would just accommodate two, three, or four sections, to be governed by size of hive and sections. The sheet-iron rests (Fig, 51,H, H, H) which, with their bent edges, just raise the rack one-fourth of an inch from the brood frames, would then run the otherway, and give the requisite strength. Thus, the tins would not be liable to bend, as they would if run the shorter way of the rack. The end-board, too (Fig. 51.A), would be a side-board, and the strips (Fig. 51,G, G), with the intervening glass, would be at the ends.
The Wheeler rack (Fig, 52) simply holds the sections, while each section is glassed separately.
Captain Hetherington sets a rack of sections above the frames, and stands sections one above the other on the side for side storing. Mr. Doolittle makes a rack by placing frames, such as I have described—except they are only half as high, and hold but two sections—side by side, where they are held by tacking a stick on top across each end of the row. He also places two tiers, two deep, at each end of the brood-chamber, if he desires to give so much room.
All apiarists who desire to work for comb honey which will sell, will certainly use the sections, and either adjust them by use of frames or crates.
Every apiarist who keeps upwards of fifty colonies of bees, and makes apiculture a specialty, will find a foot-power saw a very valuable apparatus.
I have now used the admirable combined foot-power saw of W. F. & John Barnes for a year, and find that it grows in value each month. It permits rapid work, insures uniformity, and enables the apiarist to give a finish to his work that would rival that of the cabinet-maker.
Those who procure such a machine should learn to file and set the saws, and should never run the machine when not in perfect order.