76 BEEKEEPING 



buying boxes of bees in crude frames and 

 transferring them constitute the two most 

 interesting and at the same time cheap- 

 est ways of obtaining a start with bees. 

 Neither way is the better way for several 

 reasons. In the first place bees obtained 

 in this way are liable to have brood dis- 

 eases present in the combs and it is im- 

 possible to detect these troubles until af- 

 ter the tree or box has been broken open. 

 It is a case of buying a "pig in a poke," 

 sort of a grab-bag affair in which the 

 buyer never knows what he is going to get 

 until after the deal is closed. In general, 

 however, if a colony of bees is bought in a 

 box hive it is reasonably correct to assume 

 that it is a healthy colony if the bees are 

 abundant and if there are plenty of stores. 

 These two factors can be determined by 

 watching the flight from the hive and by 

 lifting or weighing it. If but few bees 

 are flying during a period when many 

 should be afield and if the box is light in 

 weight we can be almost sure that some- 

 thing is wrong. 



