The Townsend Bee Book 13 
were bought for $20.00—about twice what they would cost now. 
These were transferred to Gallup hives immediately after moving 
them home, which was during fruit-bloom in May, 1877. 
A beginner, after finding bees for sale, would do well to have 
some experienced beekeeper go with him to select the colonies. 
This may not be convenient, and in many cases, perhaps, he will 
have to depend on his own judgment. It seems a natural thing 
for an inexperienced person to look for colonies heavy with honey, 
selecting them usually by lifting the hives or looking down be- 
tween the combs. This, in connection with a good cluster of bees, 
would be the proper thing to look for if one were buying bees in 
the fall, when a long winter is ahead necessitating 25 or 30 pounds 
of honey to carry the bees over until the next honey-flow in June. 
However, in the spring, during fruit-bloom, when the main honey- 
flow is only three or four weeks away, it is not honey that one 
should look for, but large clusters of bees, and combs at least two- 
thirds full of brood. There should be, of course, about ten pounds 
of honey to last the bees until the opening of the main honey-flow 
the next month. 
In a yard containing as many as 25 colonies one may find 
them in all conditions, from a mere handful of bees to those very 
strong. These latter are the ones that will do the work in the 
supers, the smaller ones doing nothing, perhaps, but building up 
in shape to winter again by the next fall. Then there are queen- 
less colonies that no one wants at any price. How to select these 
rousing colonies instead of the small ones is worth considering. 
Experienced beekeepers can tell by the indications at the entrance 
which colonies are strong, which medium, and which are weak. 
HOW TO SELECT GOOD COLONIES WHEN BUYING FROM 
EXAMINATION AT THE ENTRANCE 
To select the colonies, go into the yard during a good day for 
the bees to fly, and walk down past the hives, noting the flight of 
the bees. During fruit-bloom is a good time to buy, for the strong 
colonies will then have a good flying force, and the bottom-boards 
will be free from obstructions, showing that the hive contains a 
large number of strong workers that are through house-cleaning 
for the spring. 
One of the very best indications of a good thrifty colony at 
this season is the amount of pollen the bees are carrying in. This 
is carried on the legs of the workers, and can be readily seen as 
they enter the hive. I have talked with people who believed this 
pollen to be the wax that the bees use in building comb, and that 
