14 : Farmers’ Bulletin 1198. 
INFLUENCE OF HONEY-FLOW. 
A colony of bees that is approaching its maximum of strength at 
the beginning of or during the honey-flow, having many young bees 
recently emerged, may be able to send but a comparatively small num- 
ber of workers to the field because most of them are too young for 
field work. In this case the brood-nest is crowded with these unem- 
ployed young bees during the heat of the day, and the added pros- 
perity of the honey-flow may quickly bring on the swarming ten- 
dency. On the other hand, a colony that has passed its maximum of 
brood-rearing some time previous to the honey-flow, having com- 
paratively few emerging and recently emerged young bees, but most 
of its workers old enough to work in the fields, may send such a 
large proportion of its workers to the fields when the honey-flow 
begins that most of the workers are out of the hive during the heat 
of the day and swarming may be given up. The advent of the honey- 
flow, therefore, may have an opposite effect as to swarming upon 
colonies which are equally strong in number of bees but different as 
to the age of the workers. This may explain the variation observed 
in various regions as to the effect of the honey-flow on swarming. 
INFLUENCE OF WORK IN SUPERS. 
The giving of additional room and employment to attract the 
unemployed bees out of the brood-chamber is of great importance in 
the expansion of the activities of the colonies and has a direct bearing 
upon an advantageous distribution of bees throughout the more re- 
mote portions of the hive. 
Usually the tendency to swarm is stronger during the early part 
of the honey-flow if the colonies are strong in young bees at that 
time. It is important, therefore, that each colony expand into and 
occupy promptly the first super that is given. To accomplish this 
it is necessary that this first super be attractive to the young hive 
workers. If supers, either for comb-honey or for extracted-honey, 
containing only foundation, be given to a strong colony just before 
the honey-flow the bees will not take possession of them and begin 
work on the foundation to any extent until the honey-flow has 
begun, and meanwhile the colony is crowded for room. The addi- 
tion of this room with only foundation, therefore, does not affect 
the distribution of the bees until they take possession of and occupy 
the super, while in the meantime conditions for swarming may de- 
velop rapidly. On the other hand, if a super of empty combs be 
given to a strong colony previous to the honey-flow, the younger 
bees in great numbers immediately take possession of the added super 
and begin to repair the comb and to prepare it for use. If the 
colony is strong these bees do not merely explore the super but 
