Hive Management for Section Comb Honey Production

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 94, Issue 3, 15 March 1957, Page 289

Hive Management for Section Comb Honey Production

By

E. SMAELLIE,

Apiary Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Auckland

COMB honey as gathered and stored by honey bees retains the fullness of its delicate aroma and natural flavour. This feature and the attractive appearance of comb honey make a strong appeal to consumers, and when it is marketed in section squares it finds a ready market at premium prices. Compared with the production of extracted honey, however, the production of section comb honey in commercial quantities is very much more difficult. It demands from the beekeeper more intensive colony management and experienced knowledge of bee behaviour; also of floral sources and the influence of local weather conditions on their secretions of nectar. The production of section comb honey on a commercial basis is mainly specialist work, and in this article, the first of a three-part series, the author describes preparation of equipment. The second article, in next month's issue, describes management after the main honey flow begins and harvesting methods. ’T'HE sale of comb honey sections is regarded by retailers as a speciality trade, and as the market demands only well-finished and attractive sections, section comb honey production can be rewarding to the beekeeper only when whole supers of perfect sections are produced from each colony. Localities Suitable for Honey Production In order that a section comb will be uniformly even in finish and appearance it is essential for the bees to build and finish the comb without any pause to the stage where every honey cell is fully capped. To produce sections of this grade in quantity the beekeeper must be favoured with a locality where there is a profusion of suitable flora and a heavy and sustained nectar flow each season. Because there are wide variations of flora and climatic influence between districts, flows of this nature will not occur with reliability in all areas. Therefore, the first point for the beekeeper’s consideration is the suitability of his locality for the production of good comb sections. Unsuitable districts are those where the average honey flows are light or

intermittent over a long season, where honey at no stage comes in rapidly, and where honey gathered by the bees granulates in the combs. Areas where the bees gather excessive amounts of propolis should also be avoided wherever possible, as this stains the sections and involves much extra work to clean them. Efforts made to produce section comb honey in quantity under such conditions are usually attended with much crop wastage as a result of poorly finished and underweight sections and with sections that have, been made unattractive in appearance with travel stain by the bees. Where these conditions are usual, except . in an occasional season as a result of an exceptional honey flow, the production of honey for extraction would be much more satisfactory and profitable. Preparation of Section Frames Though more skill and experience are required for section comb production, the capital outlay for establishment is not as great and the honey house equipment is not as complex as are necessary to produce extracted honey. The hive equipment, however, is similar except that to produce section comb honey a different type of frame is used in the honey supers. These frames, known as section frames, are designed to accommodate the wooden sections and in standard Langstroth supers seven such frames can be fitted. Full-depth section frames accommodate eight sections in two tiers of four, and the half-depth size contains a single tier of four sections, making a total of 56 and 28 sections respectively in each size of super. Each section frame has a strip of tin plate or thin wood tacked along one side with provision for a bee space at top and bottom and the frames are so placed

in the hive that each strip forms a separator between the rows of sections in neighbouring frames. Separators used in this manner prevent the bees from joining adjacent sections together; also they compel the bees to build combs of equal thickness so that the finished sections will be about uniform in weight. Though separators made from tin plate are the most commonly used, the use of jin. hardboard or wood provides several worthwhile advantages. Frames fitted with tin-plate separators are easily racked or strained out of shape. When this occurs the comb is damaged and this causes the honey to leak and spoil the sections for market. Separators made from wood or hardboard, however, give the frames much more rigidity, and with this additional strength damage from racking or strain does not occur, except when the frames are subjected to extreme pressures.

With the use of either the tin or hardboard separators the bee space within each individual section is the same and the honey in the sections is built to a similar thickness. However, with hardboard separators a wider space is created between each frame which permits additional ventilation throughout the super. This is an important gain in section honey production. A further advantage with hardboard separators is that they do not rust as tin-plate separators do and they are much easier to scrape clean in preparation for further use. Standard sections are 4|in. x 4|in. These have scallops cut along the sides of the top and bottom to provide beeway into the sections and give the bees access to the supers above. The sections are |in. thick and are made from carefully selected white pine timber. These are supplied by the manufacturer in the flat with V-cut grooves for folding, a split top bar for holding

the foundation comb, and dovetails at both ends for joining the section when folded. Folding the sections, fitting foundation into them, and placing the prepared sections into the super are best done in one operation. To avoid breakage at. the corners when the sections are folded they must first be made pliable by hot water poured down the rows of grooves. Care is necessary, however, to ensure that the sections do not remain damp for more than a few days; otherwise the wood will mildew and leave objectionable stains on the finished section combs. Foundation Foundation for use in sections is known as thin super, and to produce first-quality sections full sheets should be used in each section, % 6 being allowed at the bottoms for stretching. The use of full sheets enables more bees to enter and work on the combs in the early stages of drawing them out and helps to ensure . that the combs will be attached to the wood sections with capped cells on each of the four sides. Thin super foundation as supplied by the makers is sold at the rate of 28 sheets to the pound. Use of a mitre box will greatly assist. quick and

accurate cutting of the sheets so that they will fit the sections. The box is made about 2in. deep, with the inside measurements a neat fit for the fullsized sheets. The box is made with three sides, the right-hand end being left open for easier handling of the foundation sheets. Saw cuts spaced 3sin. apart are made through opposite sides of the box to guide the cutting knife. When the sheets have been cut they should be the correct size to fit the sections. A room temperature of near 70 degrees F. is ideal when foundation is being cut. With temperatures cooler than this the foundation is liable to shatter. or the cut edges will be ragged and this will cause wastage or difficulty when they are being fixed into the sections. The work of folding the sections, fixing the foundation, and placing the sections in the supers should be part of the beekeeper’s winter , work. In any event sufficient supers of sections should be prepared in advance of the honey flow to accommodate a maximum crop. Allowance should be made for at least three supers of sections for each colony where this type of production is to be the main crop consideration.

COMMONWEALTH ECONOMIC COMMITTEE .. Publications of the Committee include:— Wool Production and Trade, 1952-56. 12s. 6d. (13s. 3d.) A Review of Commonwealth Agriculture: Production and Trade (1952). 7s. 6d. (7 s. lid.) Commonwealth Agriculture (1955) (a .supplement to the 1952 Review). 2s. 6d. (2s. Bd.) Canned Food (1'955). ss. (ss. 5d.) Commonwealth Trade, 1955-56. 2s. (2s. 2d.) Annual Report, 11955-56. 9d) (lid.) Commodity Series This series reviews the significant trends in world production, consumption, trade, and prices for the commodities concerned. . The seven volumes in the . series, which are revised annually, are:— Meat, Dairy Produce, Fruit, Industrial Fibres, Grain Crops, Plantation Crops, Vegetable Oils and Oilseeds. Price each ss. (ss. 7d.). Prices in brackets include postage. Periodical Intelligence Services issued by the Committee are: — Wool Intelligence (monthly). Intelligence Bulletin. (Dairy Produce and Meat) (Monthly with Supplement “Weekly Dairy Produce Supplies"). Fruit Intelligence (monthly -with Supplement “Weekly Fruit Supplies”). Grain Bulletin (monthly, including the former “Rice Bulletin”). Tobacco ... Intelligence (quarterly, supplemented by the “Tobacco Bulletin” appearing in intervening months). The subscription rates, including postage, are: — Wool Intelligence. £2 per annum. Tobacco Intelligence. £1 per annum. Fruit Intelligence and the Intelligence Bulletin. £3 per annum each (including the weekly supplements), or £2 per annum each (without the supplements). Grain Bulletin. £2 per annum (including the Rice Supplement, which can be obtained separately for £1 per annum. » Orders for these publications should be sent direct to: The Secretary, Commonwealth Economic Committee, 2 Queen Anne’s Gate Buildings, Dartmouth Street, London, SWI.

How to Preserve Peas

Peas are not easy to preserve in the home, but there are satisfactory methods for bottling them or they can be deep frozen or even dried. . Full details of the various steps in'successful preservation are given in the new Department of Agriculture Bulletin No. 392 “Preservation and Use of Green Peas”, by Eleanor Couston, Field Officer in Rural Sociology, Department of Agriculture, Christchurch.

Many attractive recipes in which peas are a main ingredient are given in this bulletin, which is available free from the nearest office of the Department. '