Manual of the apiary

by Albert John Cook

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.

HOW TO PLACE SECTIONS IN POSITION.

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.

SECTIONS IN 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 between the 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.