io6 A Modern Bee-Farm 



Do you want honey ? Honey by the hundredweight and 

 by the ton ? Then again read, and re-read the commence- 

 ment of this chapter, and let the autumn not pass without a 

 general renovation and uniting of poor colonies. Pray do not. 

 cling to those miserable weaklings, fearing you are sacrificing 

 all hope of future increase. Ah ! that is just the word ; in the 

 completion of that last sentence is found the whole trouble. 

 How many there are who cannot bring themselves to ' close 

 down ' their scattered forces, and so make their chances of 

 wintering almost certain, and positively securing stocks which 

 will give six times the increase (if required) that any -three 

 weakly lots would do, even supposing the latter will all winter 

 safely. 



So far as food and strength are concerned, we are now 

 ready for 



WINTER, 



and the next thing to be considered is whether or not more 

 warmth, in the shape of packing, is required. Mr. Raitt said 

 that the best packing for bees in winter is " bees," and I quite 

 agree with him ; in fact I use nothing more about my hives 

 than they have had all the summer, and at all times consider 

 that the most vital point is the top of the hive, where they are 

 always covered with warm material, such as chaff, or cork- 

 packed trays, pieces of carpet, or sacking. 



It is not important whether there are chaff-packed dummies 

 on the outsides of the brood nest, or not ; though of the two 

 I give the preference to old tough combs. 



Position of Frames. 



All hives should stand so that the frames are " end on " to 

 the south wall, that every seam of bees is warmed up during 

 each gleam of winter sunshine, enabling them to change their 

 position and take food, while bringing stores nearer the cluster. 

 Bees will winter all right if so situated and in good heart, but 

 where placed behind thick walls, they are subject to a con- 



