and its Economic Management. 31 



and covered with honey in view of future requirements, and' 

 the load could be transferred, as the honey is to the younger 

 bees, we should not be able to reckon upon the almost total 

 absence of that article from our comb honey. 



That the young bees do take so large a share of the work, 

 as explained above, shows remarkable economy of labour, and 

 disproves the theory that there is no benefit to be derived 

 from brood hatched out less than three weeks previous to the 

 probable close of the honey harvest. During &. heavy flow, 

 which implies, of course, very warm fine weather, I have seen 

 hives with none but newly-hatched bees at home, proving also^ 

 that upon an emergency young bees begin to carry much 

 earlier than is often supposed. The fact is, from the time 

 surplus receptacles are put on, the production of brood should' 

 be limited to the capacity of nine " Standard " frames. That 

 number of combs crowded with brood, except for the usual, 

 quantity of pollen stored, will represent the population needed" 

 to make up for the continued wear and tear of bee-life, and to. 

 keep the stock in good heart after the hard work is past ; asi 

 few of those which have gathered, the stores are to be found 

 within ^hree weeks after the close of the season. Examine 

 the hive, and you will find every field worker has its wings- 

 more or less worn ; look again, after the interval named, and 

 they are gone. 



How the Honey is Stored. 



We will now watch a bee relieving itself of the nectar- 

 brought in. Should she select an empty cell, she first assures. 

 Jierself that it is quite clean, and then beginning at the base, 

 with her tongue she commences to " pairit " the same with the 

 honey slowly leaving her tongue, until the first load completely 

 covers the three squares. Another load is brought, and the 

 next bee continues the operation of "painting" the"sides of 

 the cell, but only so far as it is necessary to accommodate her 

 own load which she is slowly disgorging. In like manner 



