THE BEE 75 



lie invented the honey extractor which empties many 

 combs at once and gives ns the clear strained honey. 

 It removes the honey from the comb without injury 

 to the comb and without destroying its place in the 

 frame; and these old combs are put back in the hive 

 to be filled again. In this way bees are kept busy 

 leathering honey instead of building comb. 



Keeping Them Warm in Winter. Bees must bo 

 protected from the cold in winter, or they may die. 

 The ^'box hive'' incloses the real hive, leaving a 

 space to be filled with chaff and other packing ma- 

 terial. A small opening is left so the bees can get 

 out in cold weather. They must have exercise in 

 the open air to keep well. 



Do Not Starve Bees. In removing honey from 

 the hive, care should be taken that there is enough 

 left to feed the bees through the winter season. 

 Sometimes a keeper prefers to feed the bees on a 

 sirup made of sugar, so he can sell all the honey. 



Another Service. Besides the income the bees 

 bring the farmer in honey and wax, they do him 

 another great service. They scatter pollen from one 

 plant to another. Many plants cannot bear fruit 

 or seed unless their pollen is mixed. The wind does 

 some of this, but the bee is the best mixer. He 

 dives into the heart of a flower for nectar and gets 

 his body covered with pollen and takes it with him 

 to the next plant. It is said clover would not grow 

 on the island of New Zealand till bumblebees were 

 taken there to scatter the pollen. 



