HONEY PRODUCTION. 118 



takes in his hobby. Returns in both drained and 

 extracted honey are generally allowed to be consider- 

 ably in excess of the amount taken in sections, and, 

 unless there is for the latter a quick sale at remunera- 

 tive prices, it is preferable to confine our efforts entirely 

 to producing either drained or extracted honey. 



Wlicn to super ? is a query put very frequently to 

 the editors of Bee Jom-nals, and others who are re- 

 sponsible for replies to queries on bee-culture in news- 

 papers. A definite date cannot possibly be given, as 

 seasons and crops vary so much. To insure good 

 results there must be a strong stock of bees, ample 

 crops of honey-producing flowers in bloom near the 

 apiary, and atmospheric conditions favourable to the 

 secretion of nectar by the flowers. With strong 

 stocks, and the a,bove conditions fulfilled, surplus 

 will be gathered and stored in large quantities, if 

 only proper super accommodation is given. 



Some idea as to when the time for supering has 

 arrived may be formed by noticing the district around, 

 and the manner of the bees, but more particularly by 

 a glance at the upper cells of the combs, for, as soon 

 as honey is being brought into the hive in quantities 

 much beyond the daily requirements of the colony, 

 the upper cell walls will be lengthened with newly- 

 made wax, as the cells are being filled with the surplus 

 honey. The earlier crops, such as fruit bloom, are 

 found before the majority of colonies have made much 

 headway, therefore little beyond what is required by 

 a daily-increasing brood-nest is stored. Still, by con- 

 fining the stock to a smaller number of frames than 

 it is usual to allow a full stock, a very fair amount of 



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