20 HOXEY BEES. 



When the honey season is over, the worker bees 

 drive out the drones, and a prosperous swarm will 

 not tolerate a drone in the hive through the winter. 

 In September I have seen a quart or more of drones 

 clustered together near the entrance of the hive, 

 whence they had been driven by the bees. 

 The workers on guard about the entrance of the 

 hive, would not let one pass into the hive, though 

 they were constantly making the attempt. As soon 

 as one would approach the entrance to the hive to 

 pass in, a half-dozen or more workers would seize 

 him, and drag him struggling to the edge of the 

 platform and pitch him ofT, at apparent great dan- 

 ger to his portly and clums}' body. 



I wish to impress strongly on the minds of all 

 who adopt my plan of bee management, the great 

 importance of cutting out drone cells, except a few 

 in every hive. Don't leave more than fifty, half that 

 number will do. After you have once cut out the 

 surplus drone comb and fitted in worker comb, there 

 is no further trouble with an excess of drones from 

 that hive. It takes a great deal of honey to rear a 

 large brood of drones, and still more to support 

 them in idleness two or three months. 



