THE COTTAGE AND FAUM BEE KEEPER. ^9 



In supplying the bees with additional room, the bee master must be 

 guided by circumstances. When his complement of stock hives is 

 complete, his object will be the harvesting of honey. In this case, he 

 will proceed as above, first opening a bee glass, and afterwards the 

 side box. But should he desire a rapid increase of his apiary, and be 

 content to forego any present acquisition of honey with this end in 

 view, he may withhold all additional room above the swarm, and com- 

 pel them to work solely in the side box, which must be made to 

 take the place of the stock box, the" latter being shifted to the right or 

 left as the case may be. Thus, in passing to the open air,* the bees 

 will have to enter an empty box, in which, if necessity urges them, 

 they will speedily begin to build. It will in general be occupied much 

 sooner than if it were in its original position, remote from the entrance, 

 and work a good deal more comb than they otherwise would do. Where 

 plenty of additional room is afforded in after years, in the shape of bee 

 glasses, or supers over the "pavilion," or main box; and a hive be 

 treated in this manner, there will generally be found in this temporary 

 atrium, plenty of comb, well stored with pollen, (which will help to 

 relieve the stock hive of much of this often too abundantly-stored sub- 

 stance,) or only a third full, or even less of honey ; for bees always pre- 

 fer to store honey over their main domicile, whither they will, as I 

 just said now, transfer the honey temporarily stored in the side box, 

 whenever the weather chances to be unfavorable to their moving out 

 of doors, and adding to their treasures. 



The reason of the above proceeding and treatment of a hive is this, 

 that on the arrival of autumn ; that is, the close of the honey season, 

 out of the side box, an artificial stock may be formed, in a manner 

 presently to be explained, to whom the stored pollen will prove a most 

 acceptable boon. Every colony, or swarm in the bee house, may be 

 treated in a similar manner, and as many artificial stocks formed as 

 there are colonies in it ; so that, in fact, where all things go well, notonly 

 may the apiary increase itself by accessions from without, in the shape 

 of swarms proceeding from the cottage hives, but it will double itself 

 within also. The method in which this is effected shall be explained 

 anon. I may add here, that in very good seasons, should the works 



* The entrance to the hive, be it observed, must never be changed, otherwise, the sacri- 

 fice of many valuable lives would be the consequence. 



