74 DADANT SYSTEM OF BEEKEEPING 



of the crop. The weather has a great influence upon results. 

 After several days of rain, during one season, we found a number 

 of colonies of great strength, to whom supers had been given, 

 actually starving. Super combs, partly filled with honey of the 

 previous year, and saved for that purpose, were given them, 

 among the empty ones in the supers. Three days later, the warm 

 sunshine had changed conditions so quickly that we found those 

 same combs of honey heavier than when given. The bees had 

 already gathered a sufficient amount to store nectar in the supers. 



When adding second and third supers, we sometimes put 

 them on top of the first, sometimes between it and the brood 

 apartment. If the bees are scattering their honey well, there is 

 no need of lifting a heavy super to put another under it. But if 

 they are rather conservative and crowd their honey into the 

 combs closely, it may be advisable to place the added supers 

 between the stories. 



When the crop nears its close, we sometimes find it profitable 

 to equalize supers, so as to find everything full when we remove 

 the honey. For instance, a strong colony may have 3 supers, 

 of which one may be still half empty while the other two are 

 full. Its neighbor may be a colony below average, with one super 

 only, and this only a third full. It is evident then, that the 

 stronger colony will fill its remaining empty combs sooner than 

 the latter. We exchange a few full combs from this strong colony 

 for empty combs of the other, so that, if the crop ends in a week, 

 we will probably find both colonies with full supers. 



A super, two thirds full, may be exchanged from a strong 

 colony with that of a weaker one, that has barely begun storing 

 in the only super it has had. Both will probably be found full 

 a few days later. 



In these equalizing exchanges, if the crop is on, we do not 

 bother with removing the bees from either super, for bees rarely 

 fight when the new comers are found with full stomachs. In 

 this they are very much like human beings. We smile upon a 

 man who comes to us with gifts ; but the beggar, unless he suc- 

 ceeds in interesting us in an apparently true misfortune, gets 

 little sympathy and a cold welcome. 



