THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 383 



the lop side in pieces about two inches wide and remove tlic one 

 having the least comb attached to it, heino; careful not to tear loose 

 the combs, which must be left as the bees built them. The old hive 

 is now ready ior the new one, which should be ret over that part of 

 the old hive containing- the most bees. As explained above, all 

 openings caused by ill-fit of hives are now closed with strips of 

 boards. The bottom of the old hive should be left open, and as 

 soon as the honey flow is on. start to prying- off the cover (now at 

 the side or end of the hive — Ed.) of the old hive, as previously ex- 

 pl'ained. This will keep the bees from building new comb about the 

 old hive and force them into the new hive above. It mig-ht be said 

 that robbers would take to the old hive on account of the openings 

 beings so large, but such has not been my experience. 



After the box hives have been thus treated and comb building 

 is under good headway in the new hives, add supers above as fast 

 as they are needed, so the queens will not be crowded out of their 

 new quarters. 



An apiary thus treated can be operated in any way a modern 

 one can during- the season, and at its close the old hives removed 

 and the new ones set down on their regular bottom boards and 

 stands. 



If any uniting- is to be done with the bees, they should be well 

 disturbed so as to fill themselves with honey and cluster on the 

 inside of the hives ; then thev can be dumped together at will. 



This changing- about will rid the apiary of the swarming fever, 

 if plenty of storage room is added, and a great crop of honey har- 

 vested. 



The Winter Nest of a Colony — How the Bees Will 

 Form it if Not Disturbed by Their Owner. 



By GEO. H. KIRKPATRICK, Rapid City, Mich. 

 V^AlIAT do we mean by "winter nests''? \Vc mean a space of 

 VVk^ emply brood cells in two or move combs, such space ap- 

 proximating the form of a hemisphere in an ordinary Lang- 

 strotli brood-fran-ie. These empty cells, surrounded by sealed 

 stores, constitute the winter nest where the bees cluster -vvhen 

 conditions are ideal. As the stores are consumed, the number of 

 empty cells increases either backward or forward, but always up- 

 ward. As a general thing we find the ball of bees located near the 

 front of the hixe a-.id o\-cr the entrance. As the stores are con- 

 sumed thev mcne ui:)ward and backward, but the cluster in no case 

 extends over the sealed honey when the bees have their own sweet 

 will. In an ideal winter nest the two center combs should be only 

 about one-half filled with honev ; next to the two center ones should 



