120 A MANUAI, OF BEE-KEEPING. 



This contains 48 of the ilb. sections, and, so far as 

 experience goes, may be sent safely anywhere by ordi- 

 nary carriers without injury, for the men can see what it 

 is. The crate, if kept clean, and treated to a coat of new 

 paint occasionally, makes a very pretty case for retailing 

 from, for the grocer has his honey neatly cased, and 

 always in plain sight, and when a cake is sold, all he has 

 to do is to raise the cover, and hand it out. 



Such sectional supers as I have described are made by 

 machinery, and sold in America any size up to 2 x 5 x 5 

 for about 25s. per thousand, and should be made for 

 something near the same price here. Until they are 

 so, I would advise Bee-keepers to club together and 

 import such as they require. 



Much of the success in obtaining honey in supers 

 depends on the hive on which the supers are placed. It 

 is very difficult to give a date when this should be done, 

 so much depends on the condition of the stock and the 

 weather. It is not well to put the supers on too early, 

 and still worse, too late ; the happy moment should be 

 when the Bees have just begun to find more room is re- 

 quired. If they become fully alive to this fact, they are 

 apt to start Queen cells, when the supers will be neglect- 

 ed, unless the Bee-master can wholly excise the royal 

 cells. Should the end of April be warm, and the Bees 

 busy, as a rule we should supply all strong hives with 

 increased accommodation, as often from the late fruit- 

 blossoms we may reap an early harvest. After the fruit 

 and whitethorn blossoms have fallen there is generally an 

 interregnum of a few weeks when supers will not be 

 readily commenced, but in June we may fairly expect to 

 get our main harvest well in progress, and at this time 

 the Bees, both for swarming and honey-gathering, require 

 our greatest attention. 



A super should have interposed between it and the 



