DADANT SYSTEM OF BEEKEEPING 85 



less uncapping. These deep cells are also less likely to attract 

 the queen who requires shallow cells to lay eggs. So the danger 

 of breeding in the super is lessened by the use of a less number 

 of combs in it. 



Robbing 



We spoke of the possibility of annoyance by robbers, when 

 returning supers of combs to the hives. As a matter of course, 

 these combs are sticky with honey. If the crop has ended, the 

 odor of the honey attracts robbers. That is why we return them 

 to the bees in the evening only. Some people do not return them 

 at all till the following spring. We object to preserving them in 

 this shape, for several reasons. 



First. The honey with which they are still slightly smeared 

 is likely to gather moisture, for honey is exceedingly hygro- 

 metric, absorbing moisture readily from the air. We at different 

 times had honey to ferment in the cells, during the season fol- 

 lowing, owing to the presence of a small quantity of this fer- 

 mented honey in combs that had not been cleaned. 



Second. Combs which are sticky with honey are much 

 more attractive to both mice and bees and therefore are more 

 difficult to preserve over winter. 



Third. The same trouble is likely to occur when we place 

 these supers on the hive in the spring, as we fear at harvest 

 time. Their strong odor attracts robbers to the hives to which 

 they are given. 



Some jjeople allow the bees of the different colonies to 

 clean out the supers, after the crop is over, by exposing them 

 in an open spot of the apiary, until all the honey has been carried 

 out. We have found this to give incentive to robbing and do 

 not like the practice. Besides, if a neighbor has bees, they are 

 likely to come and help themselves also. We believe in being 

 neighborly, but not to that extent. 



When robbing has begun on a colony, if it is not worth 

 saving, we break it up and give its combs to other colonies to 

 protect, after having first gotten rid of the robbers. 



If the colony is worth saving and we find that it is robbed 

 by only one other colony, we stop the robbing by exchanging 



