EXTRACTING 
317 
ment. A hot knife especially will slide 
thru readily, and the surplus wax always 
brings a good price. Wide spacing, there¬ 
fore, makes it possible to produce both' 
extracted honey and wax. 
At this point the beginner should be 
cautioned against spacing frames contain¬ 
ing full sheets of foundation 1% or 1% 
inches from center to center. Unless they 
are spaced the regulation distance of 1% 
while the foundation is being drawn out, 
intermediate pieces of comb will be built 
in between, making a bad mess of the 
whole. After the foundation is once 
drawn out the combs can be spaced wide 
as before mentioned. 
PUTTING ON SUPERS AT OPENING OF FLOW. 
Many make the fatal mistake of waiting 
until the last minute before purchasing 
their supplies. It is folly to go to the ex¬ 
pense and trouble of establishing an api¬ 
ary, and then, when the time arrives to 
reap the reward of the labor, to lose it all 
simply because the goods have not come. 
Long before the harvest opens, the supers 
should be put together and painted, the 
frames nailed up, supplied with full sheets 
of foundation, etc. If the deep frames of 
Langstroth dimensions are used, they 
should be well wired to prevent comb 
breakage in the extractor; but with the 
shallow frames the wires, while not so nec¬ 
essary, are essential. 
It will be assumed that the colonies are 
in good condition for the honey flow, and 
the supplies all in readiness. The next 
thing is to put a super on each of the colo¬ 
nies not already supplied with a second 
story, and even on those if they seem 
crowded for room. Yet the supers should 
not be put on before the bees are ready for 
them, as nothing is gained, and it is harder 
for the bees to keep up the necessary heat, 
especially in cold climates. On the other 
hand, the putting-on of supers must not 
be delayed too long, for thus time would 
be wasted, and the bees on account of the 
crowded condition would probably start 
preparations for swarming. This should 
be avoided, since much swarming is bound 
to cut down the honey crop. 
Many beekeepers are so situated that 
they can not visit their yards just when 
the supers should be put on the hives. It 
does no harm to put them on a week or 
ten days ahead of time, altho, of course, it 
would be better not to give room too soon. 
Where the yard is located at home, one 
would not have to give room until just 
about as the honey flow starts. This may 
be determined by the way the bees are 
flying in at the entrance (see Diagnos¬ 
ing Colonies) and by the appearance of 
the combs. If on opening up the hive little 
spurs of new wax are being built along the 
upper edges of the combs, the supers 
should be put on. The beginner, however, 
should be cautioned that it is better to give 
the bees extra room early rather than too 
late. In the latter event the bees might be 
started to building swarm-cells. By giving 
supers a few days ahead of time he will be 
more apt to avoid having the bees make 
preparations for swarming. 
If the season has been early, and the 
bees have been able to build up rapidly, it 
may be advisable to put on extra supers 
a couple of weeks ahead of time in order 
to give room. After the honey flow starts 
it may be necessary to put on one more- 
super and place a queen-excluder between 
