THE HONEY HAEVEST. 



69 



over it. It may either be placed near, or on top of the hive with 



the tube going into a hole in the top of the hive. 

 It is bad to be compelled to feed bees in 



the winter, as, by descending to the bottom 



of the hive in order to get at the food, IhHy 



expose themselves to cold, and many perish ; 



by early examination in autumn, and uniting 



weak hives, together with judicious feeding 



at that season, if necessary, the winter man- 

 agement will be simplified. 



Bees kept in boxes are as liable as any 



others to the attacks of insects, mice, weasels, 



and other foes. In such case the stand 



should have been removed, and traps or 



poison used to banish the vermin. You will 



sometimes find the bees strong in numbers, 



yet poor in stores. This may also be a re- 

 sult of the presence of moths, &c., in the 



hive ; that should, therefore, be examined, 



and the intruders removed. Do not, on any 



account, fumigate a hive with tobacco or sulphur for the purpose 



of expelling or destroying moths ; for, if you fail of destioying 



your bees along with them, you may safely calculate on, at all 

 events, rendering the honey injurious to them ; and, in some 

 cases, especially when tobacco has been used, absolutely poisonous. 

 Doubtless, it was honey, impregnated with these deleteiious 

 fumes, that Mr. Huish found to give his bees the dysentery. 

 When bees are found to be • thus rich in numbers and poor in 

 store, it frequently happens that the cause is the loss of the queen ; 

 for if anything happen to the sovereign, the community speedily 

 decay away. The remedy in this instance is, of course,. union to 

 another stock. If this occur in winter, I should recommend you 

 to unite, and feed abundantly. Mr. Nutt, however,- says, that 

 when this occurs in winter, all your feeding will be thrown away, 

 and your bees perish, despite your care. Some people also defer 

 feeding until the bees are absolutely in want. This is very 

 wrong ; the assistance sho.uld be rendered several weeks before 

 the hive is in a state, of positive destitution, otherwise, when you 

 do feed, the bees will be too weak to avail themselves of your 

 bounty. The good mode of feeding is, to put the honey, or syrup, 

 as the case may be, in a shallow box ; lay over the sweet liquid 



