82 



MANUAL OF APICULTURE. 



could mistake. It is to examine the tops of the brood combs from time 

 to time and note when the store cells between the brood and the top 

 bar are being made deeper by added wax. The fresh, whitened appear- 

 ance which such combs present when viewed from above readily dis- 

 tinguishes them from the yellow or dark combs wholly built during 

 previous seasons. The lower edges of partially completed combs will 

 also show additions at the same time. 



It having been determined that the time to put on sections has 

 arrived, the quilt used over the frames is removed and the super, with 

 section holders, sections, and separators in idace, is set over the frames. 

 A clean enameled or carriage-cloth quilt should be laid over the tops of 

 the sections, if these are open above, and this weighted down with a 

 board which has been clamped to prevent warping. At this time the 



Fig. 58. — Diulant-Qaiiiby form of Langstroth hivo, elevated from bottom board and slid ba(;k for ven- 

 tilation in summer. (Redrawn from Langstroth.) 



flight hole should be full width and the hive protected from the direct 

 rays of tlie sun during the hotter portions of the day. With small, 

 siugle- walled hives, such as hold eight combs or less, it may be neces- 

 sary, if the hives are crowded with bees, to raise them slightly from the 

 bottom board or slide them back, so as to give small openings at the 

 rear. Mr. Simmins's plan of placing below the brood nest a hive cham- 

 ber with starters only in the frames permits the bees to avoid cluster- 

 ing too compactly and yet to keep up their work inside during extremely 

 hot weather. Ventilation and shading of hives assist greatly toward 

 the i^revention of swarming, and having bred the colony up until it is 

 sufficiently strong to take advantage of the harvest, and having reached 

 the opening of that harvest, it is desirable by all means to keep the 

 forces together as long as the flow lasts. (Fig, 5S.) 



