June 15, 1911 



369 



set of combs (Fig. 2). 

 If no increase is desir- 

 ed I stack the brood- 

 chambers ui)on weak 

 colonies; and at the 

 close of the white-honey 

 season these combs are 

 given liack to those col- 

 onies that have pro- 

 duced comb honey over 

 a single section of brood- 

 combs, which gives 

 them a full-sized hive 

 for winter. 



Sometimes in hiving 

 a swarm in a single sec- 

 tion of a hive the bees 

 will come out again. 

 To overcome this I ]nit 

 an empty section of the 

 hive under the one with 

 frames for 4.S hours. At 

 the end of this time the 

 colony has become es- 

 tablished, and tlie emp- 

 ty sections must be re- 

 moved or the bees will 

 build comb from the 

 bottom -bars of the 

 frames. 



I usually give one su- 

 per, and, as soon as 

 work is well started, 1 

 give the second one. 

 In a good How another 

 super will be needed 

 about every seven days 

 until four ha\e been put 

 on. If a hfth super 

 should be needed, I re- 

 move the upper one at 

 the time the iifth is giv- 

 en, placing the new su- 

 ]ier next to the brood- 

 nest. Many times, 

 when the third super is 

 one will be finished. If 



Fig. 3.- 



'I'he Betsinger 



s, 



given, the upper 

 so, I remove it. 

 Comb-honey sui)ers should be removeil as 

 soon as finished, whether one or more su- 

 pers are on the hive, especially if built over 

 old brood-comljs. I have known three or 

 four days' time to soil the surface of the 

 honey so as to make it a No. 1 grade. ^ly 

 aim is to have the honey sealed away from 

 the brood-nest; anil as the close of the white 

 liow ap])roaches I put unfinished sections 

 on colonies that have new brood-combs. 



I use the Jietsinger wire-cloth separator 

 and sui)er. This super has hanging wide 

 frames that hold three no-beeway sections. 

 There is a .set-screw in one of the end-bars 

 that liolds the .sections in place and brings 

 the weight ujion the end-bars instead of the 

 bottom-bar, which is only y\ inch thick. 

 Fig. .'5 shows the wire-cloth separator and 

 wide frame. In the left end-bar is shown 

 theset-.screw. There is a bee-si)ace between 

 this end-bar and the section, and there are 

 tin si)acers luiiled just under the top-bar on 

 the end-bars that hold the separator away 

 from the wide frame and sections, giving a 

 longitudinal bee-space past the section. The 



wire-clotli separator and brood-liaaie as ii.sed by 

 , D. House for eighteen years, 



lower spacer is on the separator, the binding 

 l)rojecting ^ inch below the wire cloth, not 

 folded. 



I have used these separators for the i)ast 

 eighteen years, and consider them the best 

 and cheapest, as they are practically inde- 

 structible, and there is an immense amount 

 of time saved in cleaning them compared 

 with the fence sei)arator. Then, too, there 

 is no travel-stain to transmit to the honey. 

 The super has the least jiossible bearings, 

 and there is little use for proi)olis, as there 

 is a bee-space on all sides of the sejjarator 

 and wide frames. If I were to start over 

 again, the only change I would make would 

 be to use a separator at the outside of the wide 

 frames, making a double bee-space there. 



The super co\'er should be of wootl. If a 

 cloth cover is used, it comes in contact with 

 the section or wide frame, and the l)ees will 

 glue it to them. It should never be used 

 over comb-honey supers. 



If there is any one thing that I am jjartic- 

 ular about it is comb fountiation and its use 

 for surplus honey. It must be pliable when 

 given to the bees; and if they do notdiaw 

 it out witliin 24 hours 1 know that the\' are 



