FIFTY YEARS A^IOXG THE BEES 111 



division-board from time to time to accommodate the size 

 of the colony is avoided. 



VERY WEAK COLONIES IX SPRING. "^ 



I have had, one time and another, a good many very 

 weak colonies in the spring, and I am puzzled to know 

 what to do with them. It seems of no use to unite them, 

 for I have united five into one, and the united colony 

 seemed to do no better than one left separate. About 

 all I try to do, is to keep the queen alive till I find some 

 queenless colony with which to unite them. 



One year I took the queens of five or six very weak 

 colonies, put them in small cages, and laid the cages on 

 top of the frames, under the quilt, over a strong colony. 

 When I next overhauled this colony, its queen was gone, 

 probably killed by the bees on account of the presence of 

 other queens, but the queens in the cages were in good 

 condition, and became afterward the mothers of fine 

 colonies. I had put two of the queens in one cage, as I 

 was short of cages, and did not attach much value to the 

 queens, and these two did as well as the others. Of 

 course this was an exception to the general rule. 



In my locality I do not think the colonies can ever 

 become strong and populous too early in the season. 

 Theoretically, at least, then, I see that every colony as 

 soon as it comes out of the cellar, has plenty of stores to 

 last it for some time. I know this is a very indefinite 

 amount. Perhaps I might make it more definite by say- 

 ing, for an ordinary colony, the equivalent of two full 

 combs of stores. If they have not so much I supply 

 them. I formerly thought it desirable to have any feed 

 given them as far as possible from the brood-nest, so 

 that they might have the feeling they were accumulating 

 from abroad. Further observation makes me place less 

 confidence in this. 



STRONG VERSUS WEAK COLONIES. 



I think that with increasing years I have an increas- 

 ing aversion to weak colonies. At the time of the honey 



