time the bees generally gather a great deal of honey, and will fill supers, weather permitting. We know an experienced apiarian who thus obtains supers from hives not weakened by throwing off second swarms. In about three weeks from the time the first swarms were hived, they will be nearly full of combs, and ready for supering, if the weather has been favourable. They should have supers placed on them before they are quite full. With brood coming to perfection every day, these young swarms will not be long in filling supers from the fields of white clover, now at their best. Here we see the likelihood of having three supers of combs from one hive managed on the swarming system. With two strong hives in the middle of July, there is still left the probability, if not the certainty, of getting a super of honey from each of them before the season closes. In favourable seasons all this may be done under good management. Then there will remain a hive of honey for further profit, the bees of which will be united to the other, to be kept for stock; and this will be incomparably better for keeping than one that has never swarmed at all.

The great difficulty in obtaining supers of comb is the tendency of the bees to swarm; and this difficulty is greater by half in the non-swarming system of management for it is as natural for bees to swarm once a-year as it is for birds to build their nests. In the hands of inexperienced people, hives that have received supers often swarm before a bit of comb is built in them.

In certain seasons it is well known that a great deal of pure honeycomb has been yielded by hives managed on the non-swarming mode. In 1863, Mr George Fox of Kingsbridge, Devonshire, got from two hives two glass boxes (or supers) of pure honeycomb, weighing respectively 109 lb. and 112 lb., their gross weights being 123 lb. and 126 lb., the empty boxes being 14 lb. each. These

magnificent supers seem to throw into the shade all other results of bee-keeping. But in the same year Mr Fox got" an octagon box of fine white comb," which weighed 93 lb. 4 oz., from a swarm of June 28, 1863. Here is a late swarm yielding a super 93 lb. weight. If the swarm had come off four or six weeks sooner, which is the usual time, the probability is very great that it would have overtaken and outrun those that never swarmed at all. Well might Mr Fox say, as he does in a letter before us, "These glasses were exceedingly beautiful, but the risk and fatigue of removing them were great; and as I never like to ask assistance, in case of an accident, I had to exert myself too much."

SUPER

HIVE

Mr Fox's supers were filled on the adjusting principle. The above sketch will enable the reader to form a pretty correct idea as to the way in which it is carried out, and how Mr Fox succeeded in inducing his bees to fill such large glasses. The supers fitted or slipped over the outsides of the hives, and were let down so far that their crowns were not far from the crowns of the hives.

The

bees had not far to go to make a commencement in them; but as soon as the combs came down, the supers were raised bit by bit till they were filled. The sides of the supers being glass, Mr Fox could see when to raise them. He says: "The season of 1863 was better for honey than any of the twelve years going before; but, notwithstanding, such large fine glasses of honey could not be obtained except by working the hives upon his adjusting principle."

We conclude this chapter as we began it, by saying that, with an eye to profit, we greatly prefer the swarming mode of management. Hives that do not swarm are often affected and made useless by that terrible and incurable disease of "foul brood."

CHAPTER XX.

SUPERS AND SUPERING.

Straw shal

These are made of straw, wood, and glass. low skeps, small and neatly made, are better than small boxes for supers; and boxes are better than glasses. Glass supers filled are the most ornamental and pleasing to the eye, and therefore in some places realise a higher price; but straw and wood supers are more convenient for parties using their own combs, as well as more convenient to the bees while filling them.

It will be seen that one glass is a great improvement on the other; it looks better, and has a movable top or lid. In glass supers the combs are generally built upwards, and when they reach the tops they are fastened to them.

Supers of straw, wood, or glass, of all sizes, may be ob

tained and used.

Those that hold from 6 to 12 lb. are more readily sold than larger ones; but for ornament or exhibition, the larger they are the better.

It should be understood by all, that though supers may be obtained from hives of all shapes and materials, some kinds are better than others; and where the best kinds are used, both the bee-master and his bees are

Common Honey-Glass.

Improved Honey-Glass.

placed on vantage-ground. For instance, large hives are incomparably better than small ones; straw hives better than wooden ones; and those of simple construction are more easily managed, and give more freedom and scope to the industrious inmates, than those that are complicated.

The position of the holes in the tops of the hives, through which the bees reach and fill the supers, is of little importance. The holes in our hives are all in the centre of the crown, and measure 4 inches wide. Some modern inventors object to centre holes because they are immediately above the brood-combs, where queens are ever at work laying eggs, and may readily step into the supers and there deposit some. To avoid this danger these inventors have the holes in their hives nearer or over the outside combs, where honey is generally stored. Both answer very well, for excellent supers of comb have been filled through centre and also through side holes. We get supers weighing from 10 to 40 lb. filled over centre holes, without a cell of brood or a speck of bee-bread in them. The size of the hole is of some importance. We

think there should be a good thoroughfare and plenty of room for travellers between hive and super.

The health and strength of hives should be our guide as to the time supers should be placed on them. No rule can be laid down. About a week after the bees cover the combs of stock-hives they may be supered. And as soon as the hives of swarms are filled with combs they should be supered.

If the supers be made of wood or straw, two or three bits of clean white drone-comb, well cemented or waxed to labels, should be placed in and nailed to their crowns, before they are put on hives. Such bits of comb tempt the bees to go into them at once and commence work. From the crowns of the supers to the crowns of the hives we use ladders of wood about as thick as a child's finger. On these the bees go up, and commence to build their combs downwards. This is of great importance, for bees naturally build downwards; and where supers are thus filled, the combs are squared-off and finished before they touch the crowns of the hives. When only half filled they may be lifted and examined without injury. If guide-combs be not used, the bees would probably commence to fill the supers from below and build upwards. Drone-combs are used in supers as guides for this reason, that drones are seldom-we might venture to say are never -bred in supers of ordinary sizes. These supers of drone-comb are invariably filled with pure virgin-honey. "But if you had no drone-comb at hand, would you use bits of worker-comb instead?" Yes, certainly, to induce the bees to begin at the tops and build their combs in the natural way. Thus the combs in the supers are at some distance from the brood-combs, till they and the supers. are nearly filled with honey. At the season of supering, any bee-keeper may lift one of his hives and cut out of it a few pieces of drone-comb to be used for supering.

In