The Production of Comb-Honey 
315 
than necessary but, when the new super is put on, the bees 
go into it almost as slowly as they do into a super given 
at the beginning of a flow. In the meantime the brood- 
chamber is becoming clogged with honey at the expense of 
the brood. To give supers as needed necessitates careful 
observation of the sources of nectar. Supers should be 
given in time so that there is never a lack of some space 
for comb building. Furthermore, space for ripening nectar 
is needed and comb building should progress steadily so 
that the bees will never have honey for which there are no 
empty cells. If, early in the honey-flow, nectar is coming 
in rapidly, a new super may be added to strong colonies as 
Fig. 136. — Diagram showing arrangement of the supers. 
soon as work is well begun in the one put on previously. 
Weaker colonies should of course not be given supers so 
rapidly. In any event, supers should be added before the 
bees are in actual need of more storing space. 
The position of new supers is to be determined by the 
probable future needs of the colony. If the prospects in¬ 
dicate that an additional super will be filled, it should be 
put below the supers already on, next to the brood-chamber, 
while if there is a probability that the additional super will 
not be used it should be placed on top, thus crowding the 
bees into the earlier supers. In slow honey-flows, supers 
may also be put on top. In a good honey-flow an empty 
super should be kept on top at all times so that it is avail¬ 
able to the bees if the beekeeper is delayed in reaching the 
