120 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



used. i\line being for the 8-frame dovetailed hive, and for 

 414 X 414 sections, are 17% inches long, inside measure, ] 'l^f, 

 inches wide, and 4^ 2 inches deep. If they were all to be made 

 ovei- at'ain, ! Ihiiik 1 nii.aht piefei- to have (hem ^s inch shorter. 

 Unless the lumber is very thoroughly seasoned, the depth should 

 be a little more than % inch more than the dejilh of the sections. 

 To su])ii(irl the sections, three T tins are neetled, and there must 

 be sometliing to supjioit these T tins, '.'> supports on each side. 

 A^'ith your super lying before you upside down, make a mark en 

 the edge of each side at the middle. Now, half way between 

 this mark and each inside end of the super, make another mark. 

 Those 3 marks on each side will tell you where the middle of 

 each support is to be. Most of the supers have for these 6 

 supports pieces of sheet iron IVg x 1 inch. Lay the piece tiat on 

 the edge of the side of the super, and fasten it by 2 nails about 

 % inch from the inside edge of the side of the super. As the 

 wall of the super is "% thick, that will allow the support to 

 project inside about i/4 inch, and the support is of course 1 inch 

 wide. Some of the latest of my supers, instead of these squares 

 of sheet iron, have staples as supports. A staple is driven in 

 about ^ inch from the inside edge, then bent over and ham- 

 mered down flat. The staples are an inch wide. To support the 

 sections at each end of the super a strip of tin is nailed on. It 

 is 13'4S-'',s, and is nailed on so as to |irojcc( inward 14 inch. 

 The 12-inch T lins are bought ready made. The super is hardly 

 long enough to close the top of the hive. I like this. When the 

 harvest is bociming I let the super be shoved f(irward enough so 

 there will be al the back end a space of ^4 inch for ventilation, 

 which is an impdrtant factor to prevent swarming. But the 

 sections near this ventilation will not be finished so rapidly, and 

 at the beginning and toward the close of the season a cleat is 

 nailed on the .su]iei' to close fully the opening. \et I remember 

 at least one year when it worjied the other way, and the sections 

 were sealed sooner at the open end than at the closed end. Per- 

 ]iai)s it was because the weather was very hot. 



The sejiarators used are plain WDod, and are generally 

 bought new e\-ery year, for it is ahnut as chea]i to buy new as 

 to clean tlie old, and more satisfactoi y. The usual tollower fills 

 out the super, wedged in with a super spring. 



