1909 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



603 



LEARNING THE CONDITION OF THE HIVE WITHOUT REMOVING THE COVER OR; PULLING THE 



HIVE TO PIECES. 



supers about an inch forward so that the 

 hack end will fulcrum on a safe bearing. If 

 the super is sHpped back, as shown in Fig. 

 7. it can readily be seen that it can not be 

 tilted up very high without sliding off back. 

 See Figs. 9, 10, 11. 



Usually an examination of this sort is quite 

 sufficient. If the supers are not filled they 

 are {|uietly let back into place, using suffi- 

 cient smoke to drive the bees away so they 

 will not be crushed as the hive parts come 

 together again. The operation as shown in 

 Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, is then repeated 

 with other hives, taking from 30 to 60 sec- 

 onds per hive. At no time have we lifted 

 only a part of the dead weight. When the 

 supers are held at an angle the load is on the 

 fulcrum point of contact. 



Fig. 12 shows the method employed when 

 supers are apparently well filled and ready 

 to come off. The top super is removed and 

 l*^aned up against the leg of the operator. 

 The middle super that has been filled can 

 now be taken off; but before doing so a 

 second examination is made, as shown. It 

 is set off, when the bottom super may also 

 be removed if ready. If not, the top super 

 is put back, the idea being to confine the 

 l>ees to as small a super capacity as possible 

 as the season draws to a close, in order to 

 make the bees finish their work. 



Fig. 13 shows a slightly different pose 

 from that indicated in Fig. 8. While the po- 

 sition of the operator is somewhat cramped, 

 it is true, yet it is much easier than tearing 

 down the hive, super by super, and replac- 

 ing the same. 



In Fig. 14 we have a case where the sea- 

 son was closing rather abruptly. The bees 

 have only partially begun work in the top 

 super. To leave it on would mean that all 

 the supers would have honey in, and none 

 of them quite completed. .Accordingly we 

 shake the bees out of the top super, place a 

 thin super cover on the two lower supers, 

 place the super just shaken on top, and the 

 regular cover on it. The hive is now left 

 until we can determine a little more about 

 the season. If there should be some good 

 rains and warm weather, the season may 

 take another start. In that case the super 

 cover that was placed between the top super 

 and the two below is removed, when work 

 will be resumed in the third super. If we 

 were sure that the season was drawing to a 

 close, the top super should be removed in 

 the first place. 



HOW TO PUT ON ESCAPE-BOARDS. 



In going through bee-yards we have noted 

 the fact over and over that some bee-keep- 

 ers have an awkward way of putting on es- 

 capes. They will pull the hive apart, super 



