A YEAR AMONG THE BEES. 
49 
TIN VERSUS WOOD SEPARATORS. 
I have used both tin and wood separators in these T-supers 
as also on the wide frames. I used to wonder why some 
insisted so strongly on the superiority of tin for separators, 
while others as strongly preferred the wood. Perhaps the 
difference may be accounted for by inquiring where they are 
used. From my experience I think I should never want 
wood separators on wide frames : and I prefer wood for loose 
separators, as in the T-supers. 
PUTTING ON SUPERS. 
Up to the time of putting on supers, the desire has been 
to have the bees occupy as many combs as possible. I have 
had as many as nine frames occupied with brood, without 
my spreading the brood, or doing anything to urge the bees 
or queen, further than to see that they had abundant stores. 
When it comes time to put on supers they are reduced to 4 or 
5 frames. The combs that are taken away are sometimes 
used in making new colonies, and sometimes, if they are not 
needed elsewhere, they are put in supers, tiered up over 
other colonies. A colony can thus take care of 40 frames 
without difficulty. To a very limited extent, I have used 
them for extracting combs, and I think I might find profit in 
using more of them in this way. 
In shaking the bees off the comb at the time of contract- 
ing the brood-chamber, or indeed, when, for any purpose, 
bees are to be shaken or brushed from brood-combs back 
into the hive, I have been much annoyed by the behavior of 
the bees. They seem sometimes to take special delight in 
running up the sides of the hive and overflowing the top in 
large numbers, so that great care must be taken in closing 
up the hive or putting on the supers, or many bees will be 
killed. This may be avoided by taking out the frames, bees 
and all, and putting them in an empty hive temporarily, then 
