18 THE COTTAGE AND FARM BEE KEEPER. 



case, where bees are left to themselves, there occurs often a very hurt- 

 ful period of inactivity in the progress of the new works for want of 

 material wherewith to construct comb. If, however, a constant 

 supply of some rich food be given them, (by which I mean food 

 in which the saccharine element prevails, which Huber tells us is more 

 productive of wax than even honey,) they will construct comb in rea- 

 diness to receive the often sudden and sometimes immense collec- 

 tion of honey which flows in from every quarter on the return of pro- 

 pitious weather. Bees would seem to know when an abundant har- 

 vest is at hand ; hence, they will often, especially in the height of the 

 season, construct comb as if in preparation for it. Thus I have known 

 comb-building continue most actively in a warmly-kept hive during 

 several days of bad weather, when scarcely a drop of honey was being 

 added to their stores. They will be also seen at such times to carry the 

 honey, which they may chance in the hurry of the moment to have 

 deposited in the lower cells, into the higher parts of the hive, thus 

 clearing the way for the easy deposit of future stores. This I have 

 known them do in a side box, in which the queen had not once laid 

 an egg ; therefore, the transfer of the honey could not have occurred 

 in deference to her breeding wants. 



If the season be good, and the swarms strong, which they will gen- 

 erally be when the queen is destroyed, additional room will shortly be 

 required. This should be furnished some time in the course of the 

 third or fourth week ; and first, by opening to them a glass or two on 

 the top of the hive. Should the season be very good, they will also 

 want the side box, but this more rarely, owing to the large dimensions 

 of the stock hive. ' Still, it will often be found advantageous in very 

 hot weather, to give the bees all the room possible, even though they 

 may not absolutely require it for storing purposes. When the ther- 

 mometer indicates a temperature of 90° F., for two days together, and 

 the bees at morn or eve hang in clusters outside the hive, no time 

 should be lost in opening to them all available space. With so large a 

 population as will be almost sure to" be attached to the new swarms, 

 their large box will be filled in almost the same, or perhaps less time, 

 than a swarm of the usual size would take to fill a box of the ordi- 

 nary dimensions; so, that if 20 lbs. of honey may be yielded by 

 the one over and above their own winter store, not less than 30 lbs., 

 under similar circumstances, will be collected by the others. 



