The rapidity of the expansion of work in the supers may to some extent
be regulated by the position of each newly added super. If a rapid
expansion is desirable, the empty super is placed below the supers
already on the hive, while if it seems best to crowd the bees somewhat
the empty super is placed above those already on the hive. When the
empty super is placed above the partly finished ones, the bees do not
begin work therein unless they need the room. This practice is always
desirable during a slow honey flow or toward the close of any honey
flow, but when nectar is coming in rapidly does not result in a rapid
expansion of comb building sufficient to avoid a more or less crowded
condition, which in turn causes a loss of honey and increases the
probability of swarming. If each super is supplied with one or two
extracting combs (p. 16), this disadvantage of the practice of placing
the empty super on top largely disappears, since the extracting combs
are immediately available for the storage of nectar.
[Illustration: Fig. 19.--Arrangement of supers. (Original.)]
When the empty supers are placed under the partly filled ones, work
in them is commenced promptly, but this may be at the expense of the
nearly completed sections, which by this plan are moved farther from
the brood chamber as each empty super is added. In the case of the
super in which the honey is being sealed this distance is an advantage
in so far as the whiteness of the cappings is concerned, but it may
retard the completion of the work. An arrangement of the supers that
to some extent avoids this difficulty is as follows: Except toward the
close of the season, place each newly added super next to the brood
chamber and keep the one nearest completion just above it with all
others arranged above these two, the one in which least progress has
been made being on top (fig. 19). Thus super No. 1 is raised up and
No. 2 placed beneath it. When No. 3 is given, it is placed next to the
brood chamber, while above it is No. 1 with No. 2 on top. If No. 4 is
given, it is placed next to the brood chamber with Nos. 1, 2, and 3 in
order above it. By this arrangement, if conditions justify doing so,
strong colonies may be induced to expand their surplus apartment with
great rapidity, since as soon as the foundation is well drawn in each
newly added super it may be transposed to the top and an empty one put
in its place. Such rapid expansion of work in the supers should not be
attempted, however, except during a heavy honey flow.
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