58. Foundation saves the time of the bees, enables them to build their combs faster, eliminates most of the drones, gives straight, even, interchangeable combs, and most important of all, insures that the larger proportion of the bees within the hive shall be workers. A new foundation has come onto the market in recent years produced with perpendicular wires already imbedded in the foundation. When horizontal wiring is used with wired foundation the strongest of combs results. This is a considerable advantage and its acceptance as "standard" by American beekeepers is indicated in that the 1933 sales of brood foundation by a leading manufacturer in this country were 83 per cent of wired foundation, as compared with unwired foundation. Beeswax, to be acceptable by the the bees, must be of maximum purity and therefore the manufacturer of bee comb foundation has become largely a job for specialized concerns and not for the individual. Always use full sheets to get these results.

59. The equipment required for the handling of the bees is perhaps of as much importance as anything else. Perhaps of prime importance is the veil to be worn by the beekeeper in handling bees in order to protect his face from stings. The ideal veil is constructed of a coarse mesh wire screen with a cloth top and cloth fastened around the bottom. The requisites of a bee veil are 1, it must be bee tight, for there is no more disconcerting occurrence for the amateur than to have a bee get inside of the veil while working with them; 2, it must allow clear vision to enable you to do good work and not injure your eyes.

60. Another very important tool is a smoker with which clouds of smoke may be directed by the beekeeper under the cover and into the entrance of the hive before handling the bees. Smoke causes the bees to gorge themselves with honey and to be readily handled without further trouble under all ordinary circumstances. The ideal smoker is one that contains a sufficient quantity of fuel for working over long periods without renewal, that burns steadily enough to keep lighted, and yet not burn out the fuel too fast, and which is so constructed that the draft of air through the smoker does not carry too much heat with it. Perhaps nothing will irritate bees more than hot smoke. The amount of smoke to use on a colony of bees varies. Some colonies require very little smoke in order to handle them safely. At times a colony will require more smoke than others. Also, the way it is handled will determine amount of smoke required. Perhaps the safest rule to follow is first to handle the bees only on warm, bright days, when they are flying freely. Then first give a puff or two of cool smoke in the entrance of the hive. Next pry up the cover of the hive just far enough to get in a puff or two of smoke. See figures 4 and 5. Then remove the cover and use just enough smoke to keep the bees below the top bars of the frames. Too much smoke will make the bees run out of the hive and will cause them, in many cases, to sting as much as when not enough smoke is given. Practice and careful handling of bees will soon teach you the amount of smoke needed for each colony under different conditions.

61. Another very important item is a hive tool, which is furnished by all supply houses and is of a style and design that has largely been dictated by beekeepers. However, anyone not wishing to purchase a hive tool will frequently find it satisfactory to use any sort of flat substantial metal tool that may be inserted between hive parts without damaging them and without too much effort on the part of the user. The illustrations 6 and 8 show how to use the hive tool.

62. The choice of super equipment or the parts of the hive to be placed above the brood chambers and in which surplus honey is to be stored, must depend on whether extracted or section comb honey is to be produced. Most beekeepers find it feasible to buy supers for extracted honey production that are of the same size and depth as the bodies that make up the brood chamber, so that the brood chamber parts may be used as supers or supers as brood chambers. Each frame in the extracting super should be fitted with full sheets of medium brood foundation, wired. In localities where honey flows are short or where they extend over long periods with intervals of dearth between, frequently beekeepers prefer the so called shallow extracting super. While this frame is used by many large producers of extracted honey, it is more adaptable for the production of bulk comb honey, this being the type where all of the comb is cut out of the frame and packed in jars or pails for sale. This super, being shallower, is consequently lighter when filled with honey and is frequently recommended for women beekeepers. For the production of bulk comb honey each frame should be fitted with a sheet of bulk comb foundation which does not need to be wired. In the choice of supers it is always well to keep in mind that one must purchase a sufficient quantity of supers to care for a maximum crop without the necessity of having to empty the supers in the midst of the honey flow in order to put them back to supply adequate room. We heartily urge that beekeepers do not attempt to increase the number of their colonies so fast but that they give more attention to purchasing the required number of supers per colony to secure a maximum crop. We do not believe that honey can be successfully produced and not have any appreciable part of the possible crop lost over a period of years unless at least 3 full depth supers or 4 shallow supers are used for each colony of bees. It is absolutely necessary to have them ready for the beginning of the honey flow, else much of the crop may be lost while the bees wait for you to prepare them. Also the proper supering of any hive of bees will, to a great extent, assist you in the control of swarming. No colony of bees can produce a maximum honey crop if it is allowed to swarm indiscriminately. The slack period of the year following the time your bees are placed into winter quarters is the ideal time to purchase your equipment for another season and to get it ready for the bees. Requirements for the following season can easily and accurately be judged if winter preparations covered in chapters 1 and 2 have been made. Where an insufficient number of supers per colony is provided bees lose much of their crop for want of storage space and tend toward increased swarming. They will build a great deal of cross or burr comb in between the supers which has to be cut out to prevent killing many bees when manipulating the hive and results in waste. Killing bees makes the colony very irritable.