BEES. ik 
the different ‘‘supers’’ or bodies for holding sections would be im- 
possible in a bulletin of this size, and the reader must be referred to 
catalogues of dealers in beekeeping supplies. Instead of using regu- 
lar comb-honey supers, some bee keepers use wide frames to hold two 
tiers of sections. It is better, however, to have the supers smaller, so 
that the bees may be crowded more to produce full sections. To 
overcome this difficulty, shallow wide frames holding one tier of sec- 
tions may be used. The majority of bee keepers find it advisable to 
use special comb-honey supers. 
In producing comb honey it is even more necessary to know the 
plants which produce surplus honey, and just when they come in 
bloom, than it is in extracted honey production. The colony should 
be so manipulated that the maximum field force is ready for the 
beginning of the flow. This requires care in spring management, 
and, above all, the prevention of swarming. Supers should be put 
on just before the heavy flow begins. A good indication of the need 
of supers is the whitening of the brood combs at the top. If the bees 
are in two hive-bodies they should generally be reduced to one, and 
the frames should be filled with brood and honey so that as the new 
crop comes in the bees will carry it immediately to the sections above. 
If large hives are used for the brood chamber it is often advisable 
to remove some of the frames and use a division board to crowd the 
bees above. To prevent the queen from going into the sections to 
lay, a sheet of perforated zine (fig. 23) may be put between the brood 
chamber and the super (fig. 2). 
It is often difficult to get bees to begin work in the small sections, 
but this should be brought about as soon as possible to prevent loss 
of honey. If there are at hand some sections which have been partly 
drawn the previous year, these may be put in the super with the 
new sections as ‘“‘bait.’”” Another good plan is to put a shallow 
extracting frame on either side of the sections. If a few colonies 
in the apiary that are strong enough to go above refuse to do so, lift 
supers from some colonies that have started to work above and give 
them to the slow colonies. The super should generally be shaded 
somewhat to keep it from getting too hot. Artificial swarming will 
quickly force bees into the supers. 
To produce the finest quality of comb honey full sheets of founda- 
tion should be used in the sections. Some bee keepers use nearly a 
full sheet hung from the top of the section and a narrow bottom 
starter. The use of foundation of worker-cell size is much preferred. 
When one super becomes half full or more and there are indications 
that there will be honey enough to fill others, the first one should be 
raised and an empty one put on the hive under it. This tiering up 
can be continued as long as necessary, but it is advisable to remove 
filled sections as soon as possible after they are nicely capped, for 
447 
