The Production of Comb-Honey 



315 



than necessary but, when the new super is put on, the bees 

 go into it almost as slowly as they do into a super given 

 at the beginning of a flow. In the meantime the brood- 

 chamber is becoming clogged with honey at the expense of 

 the brood. To give supers as needed necessitates careful 

 observation of the sources of nectar. Supers should be 

 given in time so that there is never a lack of some space 

 for comb building. Furthermore, space for ripening nectar 

 is needed and comb building should progress steadily so 

 that the bees will never have honey for which there are no 

 empty cells. If, early in the honey-flow, nectar is coming 

 in rapidly, a new super may be added to strong colonies as 



FIG. 136. Diagram showing arrangement of the supers. 



soon as work is well begun in the one put on previously. 

 Weaker colonies should qf course not be given supers so 

 rapidly. In any event, supers should be added before the 

 bees are in actual need of more storing space. 



The position of new supers is to be determined by the 

 probable future needs of the colony. If the prospects in- 

 dicate that an additional super will be filled, it should be 

 put below the supers already on, next to the brood-chamber, 

 while if there is a probability that the additional super will 

 not be used it should be placed on top, thus crowding the 

 bees into the earlier supers. In slow honey-flows, supers 

 may also be put on top. In a good honey-flow an empty 

 super should be kept on top at all times so that it is avail- 

 able to the bees if the beekeeper is delayed in reaching the 



