BEE-KBEPINQ. 811 



HOW TO CLIP A QUKETN'S WING. 



As soon as the queen has commenced to deposit eggs, usually about eight 

 or ten days after being hatched, take hold of the left wing with the left thumb 

 and whichever finger comes most handy, (or if left handed use the right hand), 

 being careful not to grasp or squeeze the abdomen, raise her from the comb, 

 and let her stand on another finger or on the knee, and with a smjill pair of 

 sharp scissors, one blade of which is carefully passed under the right wing, 

 dip off at least % of it, being very careful not to injure either of her legs, then 

 replace hei on the comb among the beea. 



HOW TO GET STBAIGHT COMBS. 



If no foundation is to be used, and the bees are to make their own combs, 

 and it is desired to have them straight in the frames, it may be easily accom- 

 plished in the following manner: 



Have the lower side of the top bar of the frames made V shaped. Raise 

 the back end of the hive about 6 inches, and as the bees always begin comb 

 building at the highest point, they will begin at the back end of the frames. 

 When they have started comb nearly half the length of the frames they are at 

 work on, reverse every other one, putting the front end of the frames at the back 

 end of the hive, and if the combs already built are straight, the filling out of 

 the other ends of the frames will necessarily be straight It will be well to look 

 at the combs occasionally while they are being built, and if they are being 

 started wrong, or are being made crooked, they can readily be bent and fixed 

 straight. A little attention to this will easily secure that much to be desired 

 object, straight combs. When the combs are started the full length of the toj; 

 bar, the back end of the hive should be lowered to the right position. 



BOBBING. 



When the flow of honey ceases, bees are very much inclined to rob. To 

 prevent this, keep the entrance to the hive closed to the size necessary for tha 

 use of the colony. If robbing has already begun, close the entrance so that 

 but one or two bees can pass at a time. If this does not stop it, cover the 

 entrance with some loose, wet hay or straw. Bees do not like to crawl through 

 this, and the colony wUl generally be able to repel the attack. 



WINTEEING. 



It is well known that to winter bees successfully is the most difiicult part 

 of bee-keeping, and this one thing may be put down as an axiom: Extremes of 

 heat or cold are detrimental to bees. If the temperature becomes extremely 

 low, the bees take more food to keep up the animal heat; they become uneasy 

 and throw off much moisture which may condense and freeze aroimd the 

 cluster encasing them in a solid wall of ice, thus preventing them reaching 

 ttie honey, and they actually starve with plenty of honey hi the hive. Tue 



