and tts Economic Management. 39 
at one or both sides will often be a solid block of honey. 
Meanwhile the population has been entirely renewed by the 
brood hatching in successive batches, but presently no more 
store is to be gathered, and then the drones are destroyed ; 
the size of the brood nest is greatly diminished, until by 
September brood rearing ceases entirely, unless there be a 
qucen of the current year, and in that case, with plenty of 
food on hand, it will be continued until late into October. 
The whole of the stores accumulated by a swarm thus left 
to itself will seldom exceed 20 Ibs. but let the reader 
compare this with the product of a swarm worked as 
explained under “ General Management,” and he will find 
that there is but poor economy in the “ let-’em-alone ” 
policy. 
As the cool weather comes on, the bees which but 
lately appeared to fill the hive, crowd into a compact 
mass, occupying not one-tenth of the space. The winter 
cluster is formed where brood has lately been hatched, 
towards the central lower part of the comb; thus the 
bees are able to enter these cells, head to head on opposite 
sides, as well as cluster between, forming an unbroken 
mass, and so keeping up the necessary temperature. In 
this state the bees do not rely upon any outside covering 
other than simple protection from direct draught. The 
older the combs the more protection is afforded in 
Winter ; but one wall of the hive, at least, that on the 
south side, can hardly be too thin, as an occasional gleam 
of sunshine penetrates at once, and so enables the bees to. 
shift their position, and re-arrange the stores around the 
cluster, even though the temperature may be too low for 
any to fly out. Wherever the entrance may be placed, it 
is absolutely necessary that the frames of comb shall stand 
well up from the floor, so that the bees may readily find 
their way out when the opportunity is given them. 
