THE COTTAGE AND FARM BEE KEEPER. 93 



amply explained, that it is needless for me to say anything more here 

 on the subject 



Before I wind up this chapter to a conclusion, it remains for me to 

 give a few directions concerning the best method of renewing period- 

 ically the once-established stocks in the apiary. I speak here of two 

 kinds of renovation — renovation of comb, and renewal or exchange of 

 queen when she begins to wane in vigor. 



Renovation of comb should take place not less often than once in 

 every four or five years. When it becomes desirable to effect this, all 

 that is requisite to be done, is to set the old box into the spring over, 

 instead of at the side of, the ante-chamber, when additional room is 

 given to the hive. As the comb is worked below, the queen will de- 

 scend, for instinct leads her to descend as low as possible towards the 

 entrance of the hive ; not only so, she will prefer the new and clean, 

 to the old and worn-out comb for laying her eggs. There is one ob- 

 jection to this plan, namely, that the bees will then store their honey 

 in the upper hive among the old combs. To avoid this, which would 

 materially lessen the profit derivable from this stock during that par- 

 ticular season, as soon as the bees have worked some comb below, 

 thrust a divider between the boxes, (taking care to admit air to the 

 upper box, by elevating it to the eighth of an inch or so, on thin pieces 

 of wood,) and wait the issue. If the bees after a time get very 

 restless above, it may be inferred that the queen is below, in which 

 case, suffer the bees to escape by elevating the box sufficiently on one 

 side ; if they refuse to leave the hive, it is a sign they have not dis- 

 covered the loss of their queen, who, therefore, doubtless is among 

 them. In this case, the box must be restored, and the divider with- 

 drawn. This should be repeated twice or thrice, (or as often as desir- 

 able,) every week until successful. Having removed the upper box 

 at last, cut out all the lower part of every comb, leaving two inches 

 of each adhering to the roof if apparently still good. The box should 

 then be removed to some dry place till wanted for an artificial stock, 

 or else, if not wanted for this purpose, it had better be cleaned out al- 

 together, and be well scraped and scrubbed. If removed before June, 

 it is evident that the now yowig stock may, and probably will, give 

 some surplus honey in a glass or side box. 



There is yet another way of treating a stock of this kind. It is to 

 manage it in the spring as if with the intention of forming an artificial 

 stock ; then to drive the bees, in August, out of the old box into an 



