14 The Townsend Bee Book 
they had gathered it somewhere for this purpose. Pollen is the 
dust, or fertilizing agency, produced by the flowers. It is mixed 
with honey by the bees, making a doughy substance called bee- 
bread, which is used for feeding young bees still in the cells; and 
with the hive full of only young bees to feed, much pollen is need- 
ed. It goes without saying, that the hives into which bees are 
carrying lots of pollen contain colonies strong in bees and heavy 
with brood. 
Queenless colonies can be told by their lack of energy at the 
entrance. The bees have no brood to feed, and no pollen to speak 
of is needed; and although an occasional bee will be seen loaded 
with pollen, it will be noticed that something is wrong, for they 
all lack the energy of the bees belonging to colonies in a normal 
condition. Fortunately there are but few queenless colonies in 
this condition at this season of the year. They usually die earlier 
in the season. 
After deciding from the entrance indications which are the 
desirable colonies to buy, the combs should be examined to see 
that they are straight in the frames, and that there is a good 
percentage of worker cells. At this time, also, one can make sure 
that the colonies are strong in brood and bees, for it will not do 
to depend entirely upon the entrance indications, although in this 
way one can save the time taken in looking through a great lot of 
weak colonies before finding the more desirable ones. 
Many beekeepers, nowadays, hive their swarms upon full sheets 
of foundation; and if any can be found having combs built in this 
way, it would be a good plan to buy all such; for, by so doing, 
good straight worker comb can be secured. Those who profess to 
be beekeepers at all, use at least a strip of foundation in the top 
of the brood-frame to start the bees building the combs true in 
each frame. If starters are used in the frames of the hanging 
type, the combs containing a large percentage of drone-cells can 
be taken out and replaced with new frames containing full sheets 
of foundation. 
MOVING BEES HOME 
After buying the bees they will have to be moved home: 
and if the moving is done with a team, bolster springs should be 
used in the wagon; but if these can not be had, some straw in the 
bottom of the regular wagon-box will do to set the hives on, this 
straw to take off some of the jar caused by the wheels moving 
over stones or rough places. Last summer we moved 160 colonies 
without springs or straw, and we crossed two railroads where the 
