bee-keeper's calendar. 553 



if increase is wanted. Give suffieient storage-room. Give 

 additional ventilation if needed. Whenever the crop is over, 

 remove the surplus. 



893. Fall. — Look out for robbers, and for moths on 

 unoccupied combs. See that all hives have suffcient stores 

 for Winter, and unite worthless colonies to others. 



894. Winter. — Tor out of doors, pack absorbents in 

 upper story, i-emoving air-tight quilts. Shelter as much as 

 possible from winds. Leave the bees quiet in cold weather, 

 and see that they have a flight in warm weather. Do not 

 be confident of safe wintering till March is over. Then pro- 

 portionate the room to the strength of the colony. For cellar 

 wintering, take the bees in, after a warm day, leave them 

 quiet, in the dark, with an even temperature; take them out 

 on a warm day, and decrease the brood-chamber to suit the 

 strength of the colonies. 



Mistakes that Beginners Are Liable to Make. 



895. i.— They are apt to think themselves posted after 

 they have read the theory, and before they get the practice. 



2. — Hence they are apt to invent or adopt new hives, that 

 are lacking in the most important features (358). 



3. — They are apt to think that bees are harvesting honey, 

 at times when they are starving. They should remember that 

 each honey crop lasts only a few days, — a few weeks at most. 



4. — They are apt to mistake young bees on their first trip 

 for robbers and vice versa. Young bees fly out in the after- 

 noon only, and do not hunt around corners. Eobbers are 

 gorged with honey when coming out of the plundered hive, 

 and a number of them are slick, hairless and shiny. Bees that 

 have been fed in the hive or whose combs have been damaged, 

 or extracted, and returned to the hive, act like robbers, and 

 incite robbing (664). 



5.— They are apt to overdo artificial swarming (481). 



