130 FIFTY TEARS AMONG THE BEES 



new; for if honey-boards were put on a second year without 

 cleaning there would be the beginnings of burr-combs between 

 honey-board and sections, or more than the beginnings if the 

 honey-boards had gone more than one year without cleaning. 

 So at some time before putting on the honey-boards they were 

 carefully cleaned. But cleaning the honey-boards was not 

 enough. The tops of the frames had to be cleaned as well, and 

 this cleaning was done with a common garden-hoe, an assistant 

 smoking the bees out of the way while the top-bars were hoed. 



CORRECT BEE-SPACE, t 



It was a great step in advance when we learned that instead 

 of a space of % of an inch there should be only % inch, or 

 perhaps a shade less. In other words we learned that a bee- 

 sjjace, or that space in which bees were least inclined to put 

 either comb or propolis, was a scant quarter of an inch. With 

 a correct bee-space between top-bars and sections, we can dis- 

 pense entirely with anything in the shape of a honey-board. 

 There will be a little trouble with the building of bits of comb 

 under the sections, but not enough to make it worth while to use 

 a honey-board. But that trouble will be greatly aggravated if 

 there be any beginnint;s of burr-combs on the tops of the frames 

 when supers are given. So the tops must be cleaned off wher- 

 ever there is anything to clean off before the supers are put on 

 the hives. 



THICK TOP-BARS. 



Another thing that may help to keep down burr-combs is 

 the thickness and width of top-bars. My top-bars are % thick 

 and 11 s wide, leaving a space of Vi inch between them. There 

 are more burr-combs than I like built between them, and I have 

 wondered whether any other space would be better. If the sides 

 as well as the tops of the top-bars were cleaned off at the time 

 of giving supers, it would help to keep the bottoms of sections 

 clean, but I doubt its paying. 



THICK TOP-BARS POR WHITE SECTIONS. 



Even if the ''s thickness of top-bar were of no other 

 advantage, I should want it for the sake of keeping the cai-i- 



