FOURTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART IX. 657 



Now, with your left hand remove the cover while your hand is work- 

 ing the smoker. 



As soon as the bees have left the top of the super, remove a frame 

 and either shake the ijees back in the super or at the entrance. Then 

 set it aside. 



Now, with the left hand pry each frame over towards this empty 

 space and smoke the bees down into the brood chamber, not that we 

 care about the bees but we want to be sure the queen is down in the 

 brood chamber. 



And as you pry these frames apart, select one that is seven-eighths 

 full of sealed honey, all sealed but a few cells on the ends, and across 

 the bottom. 



As soon as the young bees return to cover this frame take it out 

 with the bees and put it in the comb super, in the place of the blank 

 frame, on one side. 



I then select a frame similar to the first for the opposite side. 



Now, remove the extracting super from the hive. Put it on the comb 

 super and return both to the hive. There you are, gentlemen. 



These bees were storing honey in that super 'before it reached the 

 hive and had been for a week or ten days, and they will go right on 

 storing until it is full. 



And what is of immensely more importance is the fact that they 

 have been secreting wax for the purpose of repairing these old combs 

 and capping this honey they have stored during May, and will continue 

 to do so and draw out foundation as sO'On as this comb super Is in 

 position on the hive. 



I have many times seen the row of sections next the bait combs in 

 these supers drawn out ready for the storage of honey the next morn- 

 ing after these supers were put on the hives, and I consider my crop 

 of comb honey assured just as soon as my bees are drawing founda- 

 tion and storing honey in this first super. 



One word in regard to the secretion of wax and building comb in 

 the production of comb honey. We all know that nature is a lavish 

 provider; she causes hundreds of blossoms to appear on our fruit trees 

 in the spring where one apple or plum is matured on the tree. There 

 are fifteen or tv/enty queen cells produced in the hive where only one 

 or two is needed, we often see 400 or 500 drones where only one is 

 necessary. Is there any reason to think our bees would not be able 

 to -supply the necessary amount of wax to build comb for the storage 

 of any and all honey the field bees are able to gather no matter how 

 heavy or fast the fiow may be? 



Our wax workers are busy twenty-four hours each day. Would it 

 not be reasonable to believe they would be able to prepare combs, or, 

 what would be still easier, draw out foundation sufficient to store all 

 honey the field bees could gather during ten or twelve hours work, 

 especially if they have the help of the full force of field bees each night? 

 And I think they do, I don't believe there is a bee in a normal colony 

 that loafs or rests for more than a few moments at a time day or night 

 during a honey flow, if there is work that should be done in the hive. 



The reason I selected these frames two-thirds full for the comb super 

 43 



