HIVES. 23 



have &TXJ young bees of the proper age from which to 

 raise a queen; if not, and the old queen is in the part 

 with the brood-comb, where she will be ninety-nine 

 times in a hundred, one half of the hive* is lost for 

 want of a queen. 



Mr. A.—" Ah 1 I think I now understand :how I 

 lost one-half of nearly every hive I divided. I 

 also lost some of them in the winter ; there was plenty 

 of bees as well as honey ; can you tell the cause of 

 this?" 



I will guess that they starved. 



Mr. A. — " Starved 1 why I said there was plenty of 

 honey." 



i understood it, but nevertheless feel quite sure, 



Mr. A. — " I would like to see that made plain ; I 

 can't understand how they could starve when there was 

 honey I" 



CAUSE OF STARVING IN SUCH HIVES, 



I said one apartment would be filled with brood- 

 combs; this will be occupied, at least partially, with 

 brood as long as the yield of honey lasts ; consequent- 

 ly, there will be but little room for storing here, but 

 the other side may be full throughout. The bees will 

 take up their winter quarters among the brood-combs. 

 Now suppose the honey in this apartment is all ex- 

 hausted during a severe turn of cold weather, what 

 can the bees do ? If one should leave the mass and 

 go among the frosty combs for a supply, its fate would 

 be as certain as starvation. Without frequent inter 

 vals of warm weather to melt all frost on the combs, 



