> Allen mentioned comb production starting from a package or nuc....
> Of course there's the issue of what to do with the single deep after
> section season is over.  I assume unite it with another colony.  Allen?

Nope, just add another standard brood chamber and feed it for winter.

> I don't recall the package/nuc method being
> endorsed in Taylor's book and Killion only touts the "Killion method".  The
> closest to the package/nuc method I've read and practiced is the shook
> swarming method which Taylor writes about...

Some write books, and some produce comb honey.  I made my living for years from
producing Ross Rounds.  I don't write books (other than my diary).  I merely
produced hundreds of thousands of round combs in an area not known for big crops
using the minimum of resources to produce the maximum of profit.

> I have to disagree with Lloyd's comments about queen excluders being a
> common mistake... The year I omitted queen excluders I had to cull many
> sections due to drone brood...

We hardly *ever* saw that happen, and when we did find any drone brood, it was
only a few cells in one or two combs in one super out of hundreds.  We merely
cut out those few cells and gave the combs back to the bees again to repair.
They were always then filled with white comb and honey and capped perfectly.

> A few words about the Killion method.  It's a LOT of work...

Does it pay?  Making the biggest crop does not always produce the best profit.
If you only have a few hives and lots of time, these things are practical, but
if you are running hundreds of hives on comb and relying on hired help in these
modern days, simple is good.

> Lloyd wrote, "Allen suggested starting to super when signs of comb building
> are evident.

Actually, I put the super on when the hive gets to needing it if the flow is
immanent.  I don't wait until there is pressure on the hive.  When I said
wall-to-wall, I guess I should have said on a hot day.  Better to give the first
super too early than a little late.

> Alan mentioned perhaps bees will shun section supers if the foundation is
> stale.  I wonder how old is stale.  Advised by Lloyd, I started this year to
> prepare my section supers for reuse when I harvest the current crop.  It
> cuts down on labor to only handle the supers once.

No worries.  We did that all the time and it works if you store them covered in
a decent environment.  I was meaning that maybe the material in question there
was stored someplace hot, chemical or stinky or that it was dried out to the
point where it was brittle.

> In summary (as I summarized in the archives), buy the book!

Probably good advice, but don't think you can not do a good job without any
trouble or grief just by reading the archives and following my simple system.
You may not become a Master Beekeeper or  get quite as much comb as those who go
the extra mile, but you will get enough good combs to satisfy most people and
spend very little time, muscle, or brainpower doing so.

I'd write a book about comb honey, but making good comb is so simple the way I
do it that it would be a very thin book.  However you can read the book I am
writing at http://www.internode.net/HoneyBee/diary/.

allen