314 Beekeeping 



to do as much as is possible without such a division. On 

 the other hand, the manipulations of the beekeeper may- 

 prevent swarming, but still the bees may be put in such a 

 condition that they do not work well. It is necessary not 

 only that the bees be kept from swarming but that the 

 gathering instinct shall overpower all other activities. In- 

 crease in the number of colonies during the honey-flow or 

 just before it is therefore expensive and should be avoided. 

 Swarming is a far more serious problem in comb-honey 

 production than in any other type of beekeeping. The 

 beekeeper is therefore called upon to exercise all his skill 

 in preventing and controlling this tendency. The manipu- 

 lations used to prevent swarming are discussed in an earlier 

 chapter. In comb-honey production the tendency to swarm 

 is so marked that an examination of each colony once in 

 seven to ten days is usually necessary to do the things that 

 conditions may call for. In case swarms issue in spite of 

 the precautionary measures, various methods are available 

 for handling the swarm and for the disposal of the brood 

 to best advantage, which have been previously discussed 

 (p. 275). 



Manipulation of supers. 



One of the most important factors in success with comb- 

 honey is putting the supers on in the right order and at the 

 right time. This may not only do much toward preventing 

 swarming, but is an important stimulus to storing the maxi- 

 mum amount of honey. No general rule can be laid down 

 for the number of supers that should be put on a colony; 

 they are simply units in the part of the hive devoted to 

 storing which must be given to the colony as needed and 

 not before or after. By proper management supers may be 

 put on slightly before they are needed but they should 

 usually not all be put on at once. Many beekeepers make 

 their greatest mistake in this feature and wait until one 

 super is filled and then remove it, substituting an empty 

 one if needed. This not only cramps the colony more 



