GETTING THE BEES -—Chapter V. 
If possible, the beginner should buy full colonies from near home, be- 
cause he is likely to know of the honesty and experience of the beekeeper 
from whom he buys and ean be sure his bees are free from disease. If the 
beginner can : 
have an experi- 
enced beekeeper 
go with him to 
select the colo- 
nies he is to pur- 
chase, and to as- 
sure him that 
they are strong, 
free from dis- 
ease, and have a 
good queen, it 
will prove a 
great advantage. Normal scene at entrance of hive. 
But if he must 
of necessity buy his one or two colonies for himself, let him look to these 
points: Examine them on a warm day when the bees are flying freely 
(we assume it is one of the first warm spells of full springtime—if possi- 
ble, during the fruit bloom) ; walk past the hives and watch the flight of 
the bees. Note if the bees coming to any one hive are bringing in pollen 
(colored pellets) on their legs, for this is a strong indication of a thrifty 
colony. If pollen is not being brought into a hive by its bees, they lack 
energy and are likely to be without a queen and without brood (on which 
the future strength and honey-gathering power of the hive depend). Open 
the hive (or have the owner open it) by carefully lifting the cover from 
the top. (See page 49 on “How to Avoid Being Stung.”) See that the 
combs are straight in the frames (not bulged sidewise anywhere). See that 
bees cover pretty 
evenly five to 
seven combs in 
the hive (al- 
though many 
may be afield in 
midday of a 
warm day, and 
so the number 
may be hard to 
estimate). See 
that there is a 
large percentage 
A normally full frame of bees. of worker-cells 
in the combs, 
which are the smallest cells of the comb—slightly smaller than the drone- 
cells (see page 45 on “Cells and Their Arrangement’) ; and see that these 
cells have brood started in many of them, and that the queen is laying a 
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