As already mentioned, the use of the bar-framed hive is now considered essential to profitable bee-keeping, and in previous chapters many hints have been given as to the working of certain details connected with it. There are, however, matters connected directly with the gathering and harvesting of honey which have yet to be dealt with.

The Use of Comb-Foundation.—One of the most important items in the working of the bar-framed hive is the comb-foundation to which reference was made on page 35. It is by its use that profit reaping is made possible to the bee-keeper. Where it is intended to work combs on the standard frame principle, the foundation should be of the thick "worker" kind, for if the bees are not inclined to wax-making they will often thin down the thick foundation to obtain the wax with which to draw out the cells.

In placing the foundations in the frames, particular care should be taken to see that the latter are accurately square. The foundation should be so placed that the angles of the cells point to the top and bottom of the frame, and the cells run in parallel lines thereto.

The foundation must be fixed firmly in the frame, and, to secure this, it is often advisable to drive one or two fine ¾ or inch nails through the top bar. Melted bees-wax should then be run in the sawgate for final security.

Wiring Frames.—Many bee-keepers wire the frames to secure a sure hold for the foundation. Personally I do not consider it necessary except under exceptional circumstances. The great objection I have to it is that the wire is bound to rust in time, more especially the parts that are not covered with wax, and the rust is sure to affect the flavour of the honey. It is well known that nothing is so detrimental to honey as contact with metal.

Should wiring be considered necessary, there are various ways of doing it. Some are content with two wires stretched across the width of the frame at equal distance from the top and bottom, and others take the wires across the length from opposite corners. In any case the wires must be pulled taut and embedded in the foundation. A little implement known as an embedder is used for the purpose and has to be heated sufficiently to set the wire in the wax without unduly melting the latter.

An embedder can be made by rubbing or grinding obliquely the point of a fairly large nail and filing a small V-shaped groove at the end in which the wire can run.

Hives of bees that contain frames recently fitted with foundation should not be moved if it can possibly be avoided, for the foundation is apt to buckle under the heat of the hive and may easily break away under the strain of a sudden jerk.

Section Working.—In working with sections for honey it is always advisable to use the thin foundation, for if there is nothing for the bees to start work on they will build combs of all kinds and shapes among the sections; many bee-keepers use drone foundation for the purpose. With the view, too, of confining each comb to a section, dividers (see p. 31) are placed between each row of sections. The use of the queen excluder, of course, is absolutely necessary to the success of section working.

It is often advisable when giving very strong stocks sections to work, to place a super of shallow frames immediately above the brood-nest, for the heat arising therefrom will often discolour the combs in the sections. In any case, to avoid this risk it is better to remove a crate of sections too soon rather than too late, for, in addition to the discoloration risk, it must be remembered that so long as the combs remain in the hive the bees will continue to add to the thickness of the cappings. As soon, therefore, as the cappings are sufficient to seal the cells effectually the crate of sections should be removed.

I do not advise the use of sections unless there is opportunity and facilities for the bees to fill these from one source, for sections never look well if they contain vari-coloured honey, and certainly the mosaic-like appearance consequent thereon is against them commercially.

The Care of Honey-combs.—The bees should be encouraged to draw out as many honey-combs as possible during a slack time in the beginning of the year. It means feeding the bees, of course, to do this, but, as brood-rearing is encouraged at the same time, the feeding is to good purpose. Honey-combs are a valuable asset of the bee-keeper—a fact that is emphasised when we consider that it takes from 6 to 20 pounds of nectar to produce one pound of comb. Great care therefore should be taken of them when not in use and precautions taken to preserve them from the attacks of mice, moths, and predatory insects. In winter time they should be stored in an old hive in a dry situation, and small pieces of camphor or naphthalene should be placed in the bottom of the hive and in a saucer over the frames.

Mildew, too, has to be guarded against, but slight attacks of it may be remedied by placing the combs either in the warmth of the sun or near a fire.

The Honey.—One very important fact to remember is that no combs should be removed from the hive until the cells have been sealed by the bees. When the nectar is gathered and deposited in the cells it contains a certain proportion of water which must be evaporated before the honey is ready to be sealed. The bees know precisely when the moment for sealing has arrived, so that to secure the honey in good condition it is necessary to await this final operation. The rule cannot be—and is not—observed by bee-keepers who are short of supers, for they are often obliged to remove one from the hive, take the contents, and return it to the hive fitted with new frames. This method of working is unsatisfactory from every point of view. Not only are the bees disturbed unnecessarily, but the flavour of the honey is not so good if taken too soon from the hive. Moreover, it is an accepted rule that honey should be extracted from the combs as soon as possible after it is taken from the hive, and if a bee-keeper is to be continually interrupting his normal work to remove and extract honey, he is giving himself far more trouble than is necessary if he is properly equipped.

It is, therefore, far better to leave the honey in the hive until the end of the honey-flow and deal with it as a whole.