206 A Modern Bee-Farm 
which will give six times the increase (if required) that 
any three weakly lots would, even supposing the latter 
will all winter safely. 
So far as food and strength are concerned, we are now 
ready for 
WINTER, 
and the next thing to be considered is whether or not 
more warmth, in the shape of packing, is required. The’ 
late Mr. Raitt, a Scottish bee-keeper, once said that the 
best packing for ‘bees in the Winter is “ bees,” and I quite 
agree with him; in fact, I use little more about my hives 
than they have had in Summer, and at all times consider 
that the most vital point is the top of the hive, where they 
are always covered with warm material, such as chaff, or 
cork-packed trays, pieces of carpet, or sacking. 
It is not important whether there are chaff-packed 
dummies on the outsides of the winter nest, or not ; 
though of the two I give the preference to 
Tough Old Combs. 
A correspondent once wrote to me saying that in 
accordance with the advice given him, he was renewing 
his stock combs about each other year. Such teaching 
is amazing ; and such practice nothing short of suicidal. 
Why, the poor man was throwing away with his left hand 
what his right hand gave him. Show me a colony 
wintering on tough, dark, well-matured combs, and I 
will show you a colony which is coming out well, if only 
it has fair average treatment. That stock is so well 
protected by those sound warm combs, that the bees. 
consume less food in maintaining the necessary animal 
heat ; they need little other protection as a matter of 
fact; they will breed early and constantly ; indeed, you 
can hardly open the hive at any time from Autumn to 
