OS 



If folonies li;ivt' dii'il in liivcs in thf colljir. tlii're will not be the s;ime need 

 of haste as to getting them in eare of the bees. Indeed, it may not be a bad 

 plan to take into the cellar hives whose bees have died on the summer stand: 

 for in the cellar the worms will hardl.v get a fair start nntil the next spring, 

 when the nnoccnjiied conilis will he needed to form swarms. It is well, how- 

 ever, to look at them oecasionall.v to see that they are all right, for it is not 

 difflcult to see where the worms have run their silken galleries. The question 

 is often asked whether it will do to hive a .swarm in a hive in which a colony 

 lias died. Unless such a hive is exceedingl.v filth.v. the bees will iirouiptl.v 

 clean it up, at the same time being saved unich labour in building new combs. 



It is well to know that freezing* destroys the worms. So a hive of combs 

 that has been left out all winter is in no danger of worms until well along in 

 warm weatlicr. when niotlis have had time to mature and to la.v eggs. If such 

 combs are hung up in an air.v jihice with a space of an inch between them, 

 they will .-ilmost surely be s.-ife from worms throughout the snninier, and 

 indeed worms ni.-i,v not troulile thcni all sununer if left in the hive in their 

 usual position. 



If for any reason it is desired to kill worms in combs, sulphur is the 

 material n.siuiUy resorted to. A very little of the fumes of burning sulphur 

 ■will finish the worms when they are quite small, but when full grown it takes 

 a ver.v heavy dose : so it is well tirst to pick out the larger ones liy hand. 

 For this take a sliarji pointed knife and pick out the comb at one end of the 

 silken gallery for half an inch, then commence at the otlier end and tear it open 

 the wliole length. 'J'liis will drh'e' the worm along till it comes out of the 

 hole you tirst made. Yon can end its exi.stence by what means may seem best. 

 To fumigate a hive with sulphur, set into a pan or kettle partly full of ashes a 

 small vessel of iron. In this put the sulphur and throw on it a shovelful of 

 live coals or a red hot iron. TliLs must be in an empty hive or some tightly- 

 ilosed box or chamber, so that the fumes cannot escape, (ireat care must be 

 exercised so that the tire does not extend to the surrounding wood. The 

 riinilis placed over the burning .sulphur may be iirevented from catching fire 

 b.v means of .a jiiece of old sheet-iron placed under them. It must be further 

 remembered that burning sulphur destroys only the worms, not the eggs. So 

 it may be ncccssar.v to treat the combs a week or two later, when any eggs 

 laid will have h.-itched.** Combs of hone.v for table use are not likely to be 

 infested with worms; but in the case of black-bees, especially if the combs are 

 left too long in the hives, there might be some worms. The dose of sulphur 

 for these may be lighter than for brood coml>s : if the dose is too heavy, the 

 white coml)s will assume a greenish colour, which, however, does uot hurt them 

 for eating. 



When <'xtracting combs are extracted for the l.-ist time in the season, it is 

 the practice of most bee-keepers to allow the bees to lick them dry. A hive 

 full of such combs may be placed over a colony, a jiropolis quilt with a small 

 oiieniug through it having tirst been placed over the brood frames, and this 

 allowing but (aie or two bees to pass at one time. Thus the bees are not so 

 apt to lireak (iown the comlis and there is less danger of robbing: but a .surer 

 wiiy is to set the hive at some <listauce from ihv ;i|jiary and let the bees have 



"Note by Mr. E. F. Itobinson. — Hard froczing, zero at least, 

 **Note by Mr. Robinson — Spead. 



