on which the tree stands, and no one has a legal right to cut the tree 
or take the bees from it unless permission be secured from the owner. 
UNITING COLONIES 
It sometimes occurs that colonies will be so reduced in strength 
that uniting two or more is necessary to get together the necessary 
working force to accomplish the desired object. Except under certain 
favorable conditions when two colonies of bees are put together they 
show a decided antagonism one toward the other, a fight ensues and 
so many bees are killed that no increase of strength of colony is had. 
Various plans may be used for having the two colonies unite peace- 
ably, but the one which will give good results under all conditions 
is known as the newspaper plan. The hive bodies containing the 
two colonies are placed one above the other when the bees are not 
flying, with only one sheet of newspaper between. The bees re- 
move the paper and peaceably become one family. 
It is best, if one colony is weaker or is queenless, that it be 
moved to the stronger or queenright one to avoid loss by the bees 
returning to the old location. After the bees in the moved colony 
make their way through the newspaper and through the lower colony 
to the outside, they accept the new location. 
WINTERING BEES 
At one time when the beekeeper experienced a loss of colonies 
of bees in winter it was thought to be “bad luck.” 
The work of Phillips and Demuth* has served to show why 
bees did or did not survive the winter in good condition, and it is 
clearly seen that colony loss in winter is due to bad management 
or no management, either of which will produce practically the 
same result. 
Some of the more prominent causes for winter loss are a failing 
queen, queenlessness, small colonies, colonies with too small a pro- 
portion of young bees, colonies weakened by disease, poor stores 
and insufficient insulation and inadequate windbreak. (Fig. 43). 
It is obvious that giving proper attention to these conditions involves 
nothing difficult nor complicated, and they are all under the bee- 
keeper’s control. 
If each year a good Italian queen is given to each colony some- 
time between July 1 and August 10 it is improbable that any trouble 
from a failing queen will be experienced and queenlessness_ will 
also be avoided. 
*Phillips, E. F. & Demuth, George 5. The Preparation of Bees for Outdoor 
Wintering. United States Department Agriculture. Farmers’ Bulletin, 1012. 
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