during the winter, conditions are not favorable for rearing an- 

 other and if they were, she would have no opportunity for mat- 

 ing, so would be worthless. 



Practical bee keepers look very carefully after the queens in 

 making winter preparations. It is a common practice to requeen 

 all colonies every year to insure only young queens. Some bee 

 keepers do it every other year, while others keep a record of 

 every hive and replace the queens only when they show signs of 

 failing. If bees are on straight com) is in moveable frame hives, 

 as they should be for profitable care, it is easy to remove the 

 old queen. She must always be removed before a new queen 

 is given. Otherwise the bees will destroy the newcomer. Queens 

 are for sale by numerous queen breeders, who will supply them 

 from April until October. Directions for introducing them 

 come with the little cage in which they are mailed. 

 PROTECTION FROM WIND. 



Not all of wintering lies in getting the colonies safely through 

 the winter. It is equally important that they come through in 

 such condition as to build up early, in order that every colony 

 be very populous at the beginning of the honey flow. The 

 changeable weather of early spring must be considered, and 

 some protection provided against the chilling winds of this sea- 



Fig-. 1— The windbreak behind the author's apiary, 

 and a thicket cannot be over-estimated. 



The value ot such trees 



