126 HANDY BOOK OF BEES 



hives in a strange locality on a fine day. If they have 

 snffered from being overheated by the way, the bees will 

 not go into full work for one or two days afterwards. 



CHAPTEE XXX. 



THE SELECTION AND PREPAEATION OF STOCK-HIVES 

 FOR ANOTHER YEAR. 



This is a very important matter in the profitable manage- 

 ment of bees, and " bad luck " is often the consequence of 

 inattention to it. When we see our hedgerows and the 

 fruit-trees of our orchards covered with blossoms in 

 spring, we should not forget that we are indebted to 

 the autumn's suns of last year for the beauty and abund- 

 ance that meet our eyes. Those suns ripened the wood, 

 filled the buds, and set the flowers before the cold and 

 snows of winter came. This year's suns can develop 

 those buds into blossom and fruit. So the autumn treat- 

 ment of bees is to be considered of primary importance. 



In selecting hives for keeping, one should have his eye 

 on many points. 



Hives that are full of combs, well built, and as free 

 from drone-cells as possible, are to be preferred to those 

 that are not full of combs or that contain much drone- 

 comb. In the spring months, or in prospect of breeding 

 young queens for swarming, bees do build too much 

 drone-comb ; hence it is desirable to select hives in 

 autumn that are filled with combs or nearly so — it is the 

 number of drone-ceUs in a hive that determines the num- 

 ber of drones bred in it. 



In this work of selecting hives for stock, the age of 



