STJPERING, IIXTBACTING, AND HARVESTING. 65 



at page 55. Our Scotch friends, however, prefer cells of worker size ia 

 exhibition supers. Besides the comb, the glass super is improved by 

 a bottom board, the thinner the better, with a hole or holes in it 

 answering to the openings in the hive. To this bottom board, let it be 

 neatly fixed by gummed paper, and last but not least, give it a jacket 

 consisting of cloth from an old coat or stuff from an old gown, used double 

 with a layer of wadding between, or in Ueu of wadding two or three 

 thicknesses of brown paper. If this be neglected, the heated air rising 

 from the hive with its charge of moisture, will be chilled as it touches 

 the glass, which will be covered with dew, so that the bees cannot, if thev 

 would, fix their tracery. 



Where the super is very small, and the arrangement of the comba not 

 important, a piece or two of loose comb (an abomiaalaon to a bee), will 

 often start operations in fixing it, which will be continued till the 

 glass is removed, filled. 



It is now the practice with most beekeepers to use bar or frame supers, 

 which of course require guides to insure straight building ; these can be 

 added according to one of the plans already given for hives proper ; 

 but none as yet suggested equals the drone midribs extending to within 

 about ^in. of the bottom of the super, except, indeed, the bars be 

 completely furnished, and be given to the bees to fill merely — a course, 

 manifestly, but very occasionally practicable. The gummed paper and 

 the jacket with these bar supers are as desirable as with those wholly of 

 glass. Comb cannot be built, because wax cannot be secreted, unless a 

 high temperature is attained, and if by careless covering, this be lost at 

 night, when naturally most comb is built, the loss to the beekeeper is 

 apparent. It ia desirable that the super should be shallow, as bees are 

 loath to begin if the start must be made far from home. Place on a 

 shallow super, let it be well in hand, and most of the comb getting 

 towards the bottom, then separate if needs be, by slipping a thin 

 wire under it ; then place the new one between it and the hive. Mr. G. 

 Fox of Kingsbridge, by carrying this principle to its ultimate limits, 

 secured some of the largest harvests on record in this country. His 

 supers were used over rectangular hives, and passed over them like a case. 

 As the bees carried the combs down, the supers were gradually raised, 

 stimulating the labourers in their efforts to lengthen the combs. It will be 

 seen from this why we have previously said that the wooden bottom for the 

 super should be thin. It should also be contrived so as to be taken away 

 with the super, when, after clearing of bees, paper maybe gummed over the 

 openings, and all packed away without fear of ^damage from insect robbers. 

 It ia better that the entrance to the supers should not be through the 

 centre, but at the sides of the hive as less likely to admit of the queen and 

 pollen gatherers (see our crown board described page 20). Some admit 

 their beea to the supers through perforated zinc, which lies over 



