PUTTING ON SECTIONS.
It is better not to put surplus honey receptacles on the hive until the honey flow actually begins, as, of course, no work will be done in them until then. Moreover, all the heat is needed in the brood apartment during the early part of the season. The bees might also become discouraged by the large amount of empty space and might not begin work in it at all before swarming. The sections would also be soiled by the bees crawling over them and daubing them with propolis.
The bee keeper who is familiar with the honey-producing flora of his locality will note the development of the flower buds of any plant from which he expects a crop and will be able to judge accurately by a glance at the colony when sections are needed. The beginner will do well to consult carefully the list of honey-producing plants given in the chapter on "Bee pasturage," and also endeavor by inquiry in his neighborhood to ascertain what other sources, if any, are within the reach of his bees. The usual time of blooming of all principal honey plants should be noted, and the management to secure populous colonies having been in accordance with the directions given in Chapter VII on "Spring manipulation," the opening of the first blossoms of any one of the important honey yielders should be the signal for placing supers with sections on all hives intended for comb honey production. Should these indications not be sufficient, there is still another which no one 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 appearance which such combs present when viewed from above readily distinguishes 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.
Fig. 58.—Dadant-Quinby form of Langstroth hive, elevated from bottom board and slid back for ventilation in summer. (Redrawn from Langstroth.)
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 place, 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 flight hole should be full width and the hive protected from the direct rays of the sun during the hotter portions of the day. With small, single-walled hives, such as hold eight combs or less, it may be necessary, 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 chamber with starters only in the frames permits the bees to avoid clustering too compactly and yet to keep up their work inside during extremely hot weather. Ventilation and shading of hives assist greatly toward the prevention 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. 58.)
Fig. 59.—Langstroth hive with combined surplus case and shipping crate. (Original.)
The supers should be removed as fast as fairly filled. The bees are slow in sealing over the outside sections; therefore it is better not to lose time waiting for these to be completely capped, but replace the whole with a new set. Some prefer to lift up the super when about three-fourths completed and place the empty one below—that is, between it and the brood chamber. The objection to this plan is that by the time the sections placed above have been fully completed they will have more or less propolis daubed on them and the combs will be considerably soiled by the bees running over them. A better plan to secure the completion of the outside sections is, after removing a number of supers, to select enough incomplete Sections to fill one super, Which is then placed on a strong colony for completion, or the partly filled sections may be used in the middle of new supers as bait sections to induce the bees to cluster and begin work in them at once.
