FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 187 



snowy wliiteness — the thing which, perhaps, helps most to sell 

 them. 



A super is, then, taken off when all but the outside sections 

 axe finished. This can be pretty well told by glancing over the 

 (op of the super, although sometimes the sections may be all 

 sealed at the upper part and hardly filled below. A look at the 

 under part of the upraised super will decide it. The sharp, 

 circular end of the hive-tool is thrust under the supers to pry 

 apart the attachment of bee-glue. 



Fig. 64 — Load of Forty Supers. 



Unless care is taken, bees will be killed when a super, 

 which has just been taken off, is put back again. Sometimes 

 there may be so few bees in the way that the super can be put 

 on quickly without danger. Oftener too many bees are in the 

 way for this, so I put one end on its place, and with a series of 

 rapid up-and-down motions gradually lower the other end to its 

 place. This gives the bees time to get out of the way, and there 

 are seldom any crushed by it. 



CLOSE OF CLOVER HAKVEST. 



Formerly I took off all supers at the close of the white- 

 clover harvest. Of late there has been a tendency to leave them 



