48 
and made so that it shall rest on the lower lift, its sides flush 
with the sides of the lower lift, on which it is held by a 2-inch by 
3-inch slip, tacked all round its outside lower edges. The 
advantages gained by tiering four or five crates together are that 
(a.) The bee-keeper can then absent himself for a longer 
period than would otherwise be possible, with the assurance that 
the bees will have space enough for storing. (b.) The bees will 
not be disturbed or irritated by the removal of their stores. 
The objections to tiering more than three crates are :—(a.) 
That if a bad spell of weather comes, the bees may rob the upper 
crates. (b.) It may be more profitable to market the finished 
sections at once, rather than to hold then over. (c.) The sections 
may not be so well drawn out and filled, and hence not so heavy 
as when the storage space is smaller. (d.) The bees moving over 
completed sections are likely to spoil their appearance, and thus 
reduce their market value. 
The method of tiering above described is that which should be 
adopted under normal conditions, but if the honey flow is irre- 
gular, or if the close of the honey season is approaching it is best 
to place the empty crate on the top of those on the body-box. 
One or more crates of sections may be removed at any time 
after the sections have been completely 
112. Removing sealed, which may be ascertained by look- 
Section-crates. | ing to see (111) if the sides of the sections 
next the last row are sealed; if that is so, 
the crates to be taken off may be removed on the morning 
of a fine day when the bees are flying freely, in the follow- 
ing manner:—Take off the crates which it is desired to 
remove and clear of bees, then repack as before those crates 
if any, to be left on; place the crates which are to be cleared on 
the top of the packing, inverting any which are completed, so 
as to avoid bringing brace combs which may be attached to the 
crates into contact with the hive coverings, or crushing bees 
which are clustering under the crates. Pack round but not 
over these crates. This operation should never be performed in 
the afternoon, as the bees, if they did not clear out of the crates 
before evening, would almost certainly puncture the sections. 
Before replacing the roof, see that the cone escape is clear. The 
bees should nearly all pass out by the evening; if they remain in 
the crates, search carefully for the queen, as it is possible that 
she may have ascended into the crates. Care should be taken not 
to over-subdue the bees when about to remove crates, as such 
procedure is calculated to make them puncture the capping. 
The bees should nearly all pass out by the evening; the crates 
may then be removed. Ifthe honey flow ceases during the sum- 
mer when crates are on, and may not be expected to come on 
again for some time, remove crates which contain completed 
sections, take out the latter, and make up a crate with the best 
unfinished sections, adding new sections as necessary, and 
replace the crate on the hive, holding over other incompleted 
