PROTECTION FROM WIND 237 
brood-rearing will commence in due season in spring. Colonies 
with failing queens are likely to be so badly weakened before 
their true condition is discovered in spring that they will be 
worthless or nearly so. 
Practical bee-keepers look very carefully after the queens 
in making winter preparation. Some apiarists re-queen all 
colonies every year to insure only young queens. This method 
results in the destruction of many valuable queens, however. 
It is a common practice to re-queen every other year, thus keep- 
ing the queens for two years, while others keep a record of every 
colony and only replace the queens when they show signs of fail- 
ing. If bees are on straight combs in movable frame hives, as 
they must be for profitable care, it is an easy matter 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 to October. Directions for introducing them come 
with the little cage in which they are mailed. This subject is 
further considered in Chapter VII. 
Protection from Wind.—Not all of wintering lies in getting 
the colonies 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 consid- 
ered and some protection be provided against the chilling winds 
of this season. As soon as warm days come, the queens will 
begin to lay in earnest. Within three days from the time the 
eggs are laid the larve hatch and require a very warm and even 
temperature. Baby bees are even more sensitive to unfavorable 
conditions than baby chicks. It often happens that a few warm 
days will result in the appearance of considerable quantities of 
brood in the hive. A sudden drop in the temperature makes it 
difficult for the bees to keep the brood nest sufficiently warm, with 
the result that a part of the brood is likely to be chilled and 
