156 The Honey Bee — Pateyit Hives, etc. [March, 



miller ; and this can be readily seen bj a little practice. We mean, by 

 a healthy condition, having the presence of a prolific queen, and an 

 ordinary amount of bees — which it will have if such queen be present. 

 Such a hive will never be taken by the miller; if they are not in such 

 condition, no vigilance can keep it out. 



Again, your bees need the closest attention just after they have ceased 

 swarming. They are then often left for a time qucenless, and in such a 

 state as to be unable to rear a queen. If so, the honey should be taken 

 at once, or your hive, however strong it may have been, and however 

 well supplied with honey, will either be robbed by the surrounding bees, 

 or taken by the moth — and that very soon. It often happens that, being 

 left without a queen, they must depend on raising one ; and, if the queen 

 cell has yet to be commenced over a worker- egg, it will require fourteen 

 days from the egg state to hatch one, and it may be some days more 

 before her fertilization takes place, especially if it bo cloudy and rainy, 

 which will keep her from sallying out. This event must take place in 

 the open air ; and before she is installed queen, the hive is very liable to 

 attacks by the miller, and from the surrounding bees, which, while feed 

 is scarce, as it generally is at this time, are very likely to break through 

 and steal. 



Our recommendation here is, if a hive has swarmed out until very 

 weak, to take the honey at once, leaving the few bees in the hive to shift 

 for themselves. For where there are a great many hives and the swarms 

 have been numerous, there will be more or less robbed, or taken by the 

 miller. 



As to feeding, the chief object to be gained is the strengthening of 

 weak swarms. This must be done early in the fall, say in August and 

 September ; and may be done in the simple hive recommended, by remov- 

 ing the boxes above, and placing the feed in a box or pan, with a float 

 constructed for the purpose. Care should be had, in feeding, to keep 

 the bees of other hives from entering. To this end, it is well to give the 

 feed in the evening, after the bees have entered their hives. 



The past winter will prove as destructive to the bee as it has to the 

 fruit, and but a small proportion will survive ; and the prudent apiarian 

 will avail himself of the first opportunity to strengthen his bees by regu- 

 lar feeding, when it is sufficiently warm. The best feed is honey and 

 sugar, in equal proportions, with the same weight of water ; in other 

 words : four proportionals, one of honey, one of sugar, and two of water. 

 Put them in a pan, and boil and skim, giviig it while yet a little warm; 

 and at first, before tliey have been attracted to it, pour a very little into 

 the body of the hive from the aperture above. If they are very weak, you 



