556 ADVICE TO BEGINNERS. 



and if this, or any other operation must be performed when 

 forage is scarce, the greatest precautions should be used to 

 prevent robbing. 



The essence of all profitable bee-keeping is contained in 

 Oettl's Golden Rule: keep tour colonies strong. If you 

 cannot succeed in doing this, the more money you invest 

 in bees, the heavier will be your losses; while, if your colo- 

 nies are strong you will show that you are a bee-master, as 

 well as a bee-keeper, and may safely calculate on generous 

 returns from your industrious subjects. 



