54 
A YEAR AMONG THE BEES. 
other hand, if the colony is weak, no second super is added 
so long as there seems to be no crowding, even if the super 
is nearly tilled with honey. 
Toward the latter part of the honey-flow, when there is a 
possibility that it may stop at almost any time, I am more 
chary about adding supers. It is better to make sure of 
having those finished which have already been given. If it 
seems best to give any, they are put on top. This gives 
plenty of room if the bees need it, and they are not obliged 
to use it unless they do need it. 
TAKING OFF SECTIONS. 
As fast as supers are filled they are taken off. I do not 
think I could be bothered to take off each section as fast as 
finished, putting in an empty one to take its place. It would 
take too much time. Neither do I like to wait till every 
section in a super is entirely finished. Unless the bees are 
crowded very much, there will be some uncapped cells in the 
outside sections which the bees will be very long in sealing. 
If these are waited for, the central sections may lose a little 
of their snowy whiteness— the thing which, perhaps, helps 
most to sell them. 
A super is, then, taken off when all but the 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 under part of the upraised super will decide it. 
The sharp or wedge end of the chisel is thrust under the 
supers to pry apart the attachment of bee-glue. 
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 tiiat 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 by it. 
