BUYING BEES 27 
Buying Bees.—It is usually best to buy the bees within easy 
reach of the place where they are to remain if possible. The 
expense of shipping long distances with the consequent danger of 
mishap and loss are thus eliminated. 
As a rule, unless one is willing to pay a fancy price, he need 
not pay much attention to the kind of bees, providing the colony 
is a strong one. The best way to improve the stock is to buy 
a queen from some reliable breeder, and after killing the old 
queen and leaving the colony queenless two or three days, intro- 
duce the new one, following the directions that accompany her. 
In buying one should pay according to the condition of the 
colony. If the bees be common stock, in box hives, the price 
should not be high, as it will be necessary to add the further 
expense of a suitable hive and the labor of transferring, which 
is never an agreeable task. If the bees be in a good hive, on 
straight combs in good condition, the price may then be much 
higher, for they are ready for business when the honey flow 
begins. It too often happens that bees for sale in good hives have 
received no attention, with the result that the combs are built 
crosswise, making it impossible for the operator to get into the 
brood nest without disastrous results. Such colonies will also 
have to be transferred, which will add considerable to the cost. 
In order to conduct beekeeping profitably, it is necessary to 
have every comb in every hive so that it can be easily removed 
for the purpose of examination or exchange. It frequently hap- 
pens that for one reason or another the bee-keeper must take 
combs of honey or brood from one colony to add to another, or he 
must examine the interior to ascertain the condition of the colony. 
Successful honey production is absolutely impossible unless con- 
ditions are such that the bee-keeper can reach the farthermost 
corner of the hive when necessary. 
A colony of pure Italian bees, on straight combs, wired 
frames, in good ten-frame hives without too much drone comb, 
is cheaper at eight or ten dollars than a common colony in a box 
hive at a dollar. Especially is this true in the spring of the year, 
