ii6 THE APIARY. 



hive:; or if you have an empty hive to put over, by gfently 

 drumming- the sides, the remaining bees will Eiscend and 

 leave the box at your disposal. The bees driven into 

 the empty box may now be shaken out in front of the 

 mouth of the hive. Another plan is to cut off the com- 

 munication over night, and raise the hive on wedges, as 

 recommended to be adopted vdth the super (page 73). 



Before winter sets in, the box c may be removed and 

 the comb it contains (if well filled) be used for con- 

 sumption : if the comb be empty, let it remain carefully 

 preserved from moth and insects ; it will be invaluable 

 next season. Empty comb may be thus preserved by 

 tying or piasting a piece of stout newspaper closely 

 round the bottom, and keeping the box in a dry place. 



Feeding, when required, may be liberally pursued, by 

 withdrawing two slides and supplying a bottle-feeder. 

 Enough food should be given in the early autumn to last 

 until spring. 



The chief value of the Stewarton hive consists in the 

 boxes being shallow, so that the] combs are more 

 likely to be well filled down to the base. This is a great 

 advantage with supers, particularly when required to be 

 sent to a distance, as there is less likelihood of the combs 

 breaking down. A fine super of honey, that would be 

 valuable, is materially depreciated when it reaches its 

 destination in a damaged state, with the honey running 

 from the cells. For the same reason, when the weather 

 is hot and the rays of the sun fall on the hive, the combs 



