CONSTRUCTIVE BEEKEEPING 11 



the bees to -work almost to madness, the honey coming in de- 

 posited in cells and interfering with the laying of the queen, 

 their system of housekeeping is disorganized. Their instinct 

 tells them that now is the time to get things in shape for 

 swarming. 



Another condition of hive that gives like results is when 

 the cells are filled with nectar, and the conditions of atmosphere 

 and hive such that little or no evaporation takes place. 



WAX. 



Also, when from whatever cause, the bees have a lot of 

 sealed honey around the brood-nest, and because the empty out- 

 side combs are too cold for work, they will not remove the 

 honey to these to enable the queen to lay. This is the condition 

 of colony where spreading the brood makes more room, also 

 that makes a colony in a sixteen-frame hive take on the urge. 



To understand this condition a knowledge of the relation 

 of temperature to wax-working is necessary. To work and build 

 with wax requires a temperature'nearly as high as that main- 

 tained in the brood-nest, and when any part of the hive is colder 

 than is consistent for easy work with wax; the bees, if they 

 work on wax at all, do it in the warmer part of the hive. 



It must be borne in mind that the bees, like all other crea- 

 tures, do things mostly in the line of least resistance. It is 

 easier to work wax where it is warm than where it is cold. 

 Hence we find the bees starting on the center combs in the 

 second super, before finishing the outside ones in the first. The 

 beekeeper who puts boards, with slits on either side for the 

 bees to enter the super from the brood-chamber, produces a 

 condition that sends the warm air from the brood-chamber up 

 through the slits; thereby giving the bees a good temperature 

 to work on outside combs. 



Beekeepers who produce heather honey in England, because 

 of the cold nights, put a covering over and around the supers 

 to keep them warm. Otherwise poor results follow. It has 

 been demonstrated that combs can be built down to the bottom- 



