MANAGEMENT OF OtJT-APIARlES 41 



ready are set on top of the super on the wheelbarrow, and the completed 

 super set on the empty hive. By using the wheelbarrow, and working in 

 this way, there is little if any bending of the back when lifting the filled 

 and nearly filled supers, so the work is done quite easily — in fact, with 

 as little fatigue as is possible, and very much less than will occur when 

 supers, hives, etc., are handled from the ground. The supers being now 

 all off the hive and on the wheelbarrow, they are rearranged in putting 

 back as follows: 



The one that was at the top, the same being the one which was put on 

 at the last visit, if the bees have worked in it at all, as they have in nearly 

 all of them, is set back directly on the brood-chamber, and on top of this is 

 put the one which is nearly completed, and on top of the two I place the 

 empty super, or super of empty sections, just brought on the wheelbarrow. 

 The board having the bee-escape in it is now put on, and on this the com- 

 pleted super is set. Having things arranged thus, and working in this 

 way, no useless motions are made or lifting done that counts for naught. 

 The cover is now put on, and another escape-board and super of empty 

 sections gotten, when I go to the next hive, treating that in the same way 

 if it is in the same condition. If I find that any have done less work, then 

 the nearer completed of the two supers, not as yet fully finished, is set on 

 the brood-chamber, the one little worked on top of that, and the empty 

 one from the wheelbarrow on top of this, with the escape-board and com- 

 pleted super above the three, as before. The thing sought after is to give 

 room in such a manner that we shall not have a lot of unfinished sections 

 should the season prove poor from now on, and at the same time provide 

 plenty of room for the largest yield from basswood that is likely to occur 

 in our locality; or, in the terms of an ancient parlance, have the "pot" 

 right side up, should there be a great "downpour of porridge." To show 

 how completely this plan works, I will say that, in the fall of 1905, I had 

 only eight unfinished or unsalable sections out of every one hundred that 

 the bees made a start on; while during 1906 the bees completed so nearly 

 all that there were less than four unfinished out of every one hundred, this 

 number not being sufficient to provide the necessary "baits" for the season 

 of 1907. This is very different from what it used to be when I worked on 

 the old tiering-ilp plan, when I would often have from 80 to 100 partly 

 filled sections to every 100 that were completed. The old saying is, that 

 "a burnt child dreads the fire;" and having been severely burned several 

 times during the past by putting an empty super under a partly filled 

 one, just at this stage in the basswood bloom, which resulted, through 

 a poor season afterward, in my having all the sections in both supers 

 worked in, yet none completed in either, I am, perhaps, over-cautious 

 now on this point. However, I think it better to use great caution at 

 all times about putting an empty super under a partially full one, and 

 especially so after having found that by putting the empty one on top 

 better results can usually be obtained. I next look after the three colonies 

 made by "shook" swarming at the fifth visit, exchanging supers and adding 

 the third, when needed, the same as was given when telling how the 13 

 were treated at that time. These have the supers containing the bait 

 sections nearly completed, and I am tempted to take them off, but finally 

 conclude to leave them, which proved the best thing to do, the way the sea- 

 son turned. 



