Proceedings of the Farmers' Club. 155 



when about five days old to meet the drones, and is liable to be 

 destroyed by birds, or in entering the wrong hive on her return, 

 enables him to guard against the most common and destructive acci- 

 dent incident to bee keeping. Any number of swarms may be 

 united within three days after the swarming with perfect safety. 

 At no other time can any two colonies be united without the cer- 

 tain destruction of every bee belonging to one of the queens, unless 

 one of the colonies has been queeuless at least twenty-four hours. A 

 queenless stock may be united with one having a queen at any time. 

 Bees confined by stress of weather or otherwise, four or five daj^s, 

 may be moved to any part of an apiary, and if not permitted to fly 

 until noon on a warm, pleasant day, nearl}^ all will return. These 

 facts will enable two or more stocks of bees to be united at any 

 time. The loss of a queen in the spring or fall, or insufficient 

 stores for bees to winter safely, may render such union very 

 desirable. A strange queen may be given to any stock not having 

 one, by confining her in a wire cage in the middle of the hive to 

 which she is to be given, three days. If the hive is then closed 

 and drummed vigorously for twenty minutes, and the queen let 

 loose among the bees, she will be kindly received. This will enable 

 the change or introduction of queens when for any purpose it is 

 desirable. One other point and you are in possession of the funda- 

 mental principles on which practical bee keeping is based. Bees 

 cannot be taught anj'thing, but when frightened they rush to the 

 unsealed honey and commence filling their honey-sacks. While 

 thus engaged, or when their sacks are full, they never sting unless 

 pinched. Drumming as above described, or smoke injected into 

 the entrance, will accomplish this, after which the hive may be 

 opened and the bees handled with perfect safety. The hive I use 

 is of triangular form, one corner pointing upward. The heat gen- 

 erated by the bees is concentrated directly in the top, where the 

 winter supplies are stored. This enables the bees to obtain food 

 with absolute certainty so long as honey remains in the hive. It 

 accommodates a great number of shallow spare honey boxes in close 

 proximity to the brood, and the angle of the frames secures the 

 building of straiffht combs. 



The hive opens on either side, rendering examination very simple 

 and easy. The outside case is a rough square box, to cover the 

 boxes in summer, and serve in packing the hive in winter for the 

 protection of the bees, and is covered with a lid. It is all the bee 

 house needed at any season in any climate. I sell the eight boxes 



