128 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



with brood and eggs. A good deal depends on the season, as 

 well as the queen. Al one time I thought I ought to be able to 

 make a success of continuing the two stones of brood-frames 

 throughout the harvest. It seems that when a colony is so 

 strong as to have 12 or 14 frames of brood, there ought to be no 

 difficulty in having good super-work done by putting the supers 

 above the two stories; and one season of failure the only super 

 I had filled was on a two-story colony. But I was never able 

 to have that thing repeated, and whatever the reason may be, 

 I have not been able to make a success of putting comb-honey 

 supers on two-story colonies. Even if the two-story plan would 

 work all right it involves much extra lifting. 



EEinjCIX(i TO ONE STORY. 



So before putting on supeis the colonies are reduced to one 

 story each. If a colony has 9, 10, or more frames of brood, all 

 but 8 are taken away. The surplus frames of brood are given 

 to those which have less than 8 frames of luood each, the effort 

 being to have in each hive 8 frames well tilled with brood when 

 a super is given. The season may be such that it will not be 

 possible to have as many as 8 brood in each hive. A colony 

 strong enough to have 6 frames well filled with brood is likely 

 to be in condition for good super-work, but the work will be 

 better if it has 7 or 8. On the other hand the season and the 

 early condition of the bees may be such that when each colony 

 is brought up or down to its 8 frames of brood, a considerable 

 surplus of brood may be left. 



DISPOSAL OF EXTRA BROOD. 



Circumstances will decide what shall be done with this 

 e.xlra brood. It may be needed for building up nuclei, or for 

 new colonies. It may be piled up temporarily in piles of three, 

 four, or fl\e stories each, to be used later in any manner desired. 

 It does nol take three times as many bees to care for the brood 

 in three stories as it does tcj care for the brood in one story. 

 If two or lliiee stories of brond with adhering bees are piled up, 

 in two or thiee weeks there will be enough bees there so that 

 when leduced to one story it will be all right for super-work. 



