and its Economic Management, 255 



the earth being shaded, moisture is still retained. A shower 

 once in a while is beneficial, but frequent rainfalls destroy all 

 chance of a good honey flow, as such induce also a low tem- 

 perature. Even with fair weather it sometimes happens that 

 the temperature rules too low for the secretion of nectar ; but 

 usually if none is stored during a fine season, it implies either 

 that the district is poor in honey plants, or else that there are 

 too many colonies in one place. 



The question of over-stocking is one that has received con- 

 siderable attention, though nothing satisfactory has been 

 arrived at in regard to this matter. It may safely be said, 

 however, than in any fairly good district 100 colonies will 

 each put out as much surplus as one only. But with a large 

 number, however, there are greater risks, and the whole cannot 

 receive the same attention individually that would be given to 

 a few. It will generally be found that it is not the district 

 which is at fault, but rather that our stocks are not always 

 ready when the first or only glut of the season occurs. Honey 

 ,is seldom secreted so abundantly as when everything is burst- 

 ing into new Ufe, but it so happens at that early date it is 

 often difficult to get the bees strong enough to do much more 

 than provide for the expanding brood nest. When bees can 

 be so wintered that they will come out stronger in spring than 

 when they settled down for winter, we shall hear little more 

 about " over-stocking." 



We are frequently told that drones are useful in keeping 

 the brood warm ; but why raise drones, if not required for 

 breeding, when in the same space of comb a larger number of 

 workers could be produced, who would add to the prosperity 

 of the hive instead of being useless consumers ? The state- 

 ment is contradicted on the face of it, for why is it the drones 



