196 



FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



snowy whiteness — the thing which, perhnps, lielps ii jst to sell 

 them. 



A super is, then, taken oft' when all but tlie outside sections 

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

 top of the super, although sometimes the sections may be all 

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

 undei- 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. 



Fiij. 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 bj? it. 



CLOSE OF CLOVER HARVEST. 



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

 clover har\est. Of late there has been a tendency to leave them 



