: COMB HONEY. - 43 
super it may be transposed to the top and an empty one put in its 
place. Such rapid expansion of work in the supers should not be 
attempted, however, except during a heavy honey flow. 
If early in the honey flow the bees are storing rapidly, strong colo- 
nies should be given a second super as soon as work has been fairly 
begun in the first. Colonies of medium strength may of course be 
allowed to do considerable work in the first super before the second 
is given, while a weak colony may have sufficient room for comb 
building until the first super is almost completed. The first super 
should contain some empty comb when given to the colony, and each 
succeeding super should be given in advance of the time when the 
bees would be in any way crowded without it. At no time should 
all the sections be removed and new supers containing only founda- 
tion be given, but the surplus apartment should contain sections 
in all the various stages of development. In this way there is no 
break in the work in the supers, and the critical periods, so far as 
the super room bears upon the problems of swarming and energetic 
work, are largely eliminated. 
During the latter part of the honey flow the reasons for further 
expansion of the surplus apartment in excess of the immediate 
needs of the colonies (p. 41) no longer exist. At the beginning of a 
good honey flow the maximum of new work consistent with well- 
filled sections is desirable, while toward the close of the flow the bee- 
keeper desires the minimum of new work consistent with sufficient 
room. The precise period when further expansion of the surplus 
apartment is no longer desirable and a concentration of the work 
already begun should take place is sometimes difficult to determine, 
and to do so requires a thorough knowledge of the locality and good 
judgment on the part of the beekeeper. 
It is usually desirable to remove the honey as soon after it is 
finished as can well be done. [If it is left on the hives too long after 
it is finished, it is likely to become discolored or “travel stained,’ 
while if it is taken off too soon some of the sections are not completed. 
It is desirable that the honey be removed by entire supers instead 
of by individual sections, therefore conditions should be made as 
favorable as possible for the completion of all the sections in a super 
without the more advanced ones becoming ‘‘travel stained.’’ The 
bees are more inclined to stain the white surface of the combs toward 
the close of the honey flow or during very slow flows. Trouble from 
this source is at such time intensified because of the uneven progress 
of work in the different sections, the more advanced sections there- 
fore being sealed some time before the super is sufficiently advanced 
to justify its removal. Another form of discoloration is brought 
about by the honey being sealed in close proximity to old and dark 
503 
