20 HONEY BEES. 
When the honey season is over, the worker bees drive 
out the drones, and a prosperous swarm will not tolerate a 
drone in the hive through the winter. In September I 
have seen a quarter or more of drones clustered together 
near the entrance of the hive, whence they had been driven 
by the bees. The workers on guard about the entrance 
of the hive, would not let one pass into the hive, though 
they were constantly making the attempt. As soon as 
one would approach the entrance to the hive to pass in, 
a half-dozen or more workers would seize him, and drag 
him struggling to the edge of the platform and pitch him 
off, at apparent great danger to his portly and clumsy 
body. 
I wish to impress strongly on the minds of all who 
adopt my plan of bee management, the great importance 
of cutting out drone cells, except a few in every hive. 
Don’t leave more than fifty, half of that number will do. 
After you have once cut out the surplus drone comb and 
fitted in worker comb, there is no further trouble with an 
excess of drones from that hive. It takes a great deal 
of honey to rear a large brood of drones, and still more 
to support them in idleness two or three months. 
