284 BEE MANIPULATION. [Ch. V. 



dense upon the inside of the glass, thus causing the 

 combs to grow mouldy and directly interfering with the 

 health of the bees. The use of such hives as the unicomb 

 is best restricted to four months in the year, when bees 

 are most active and interesting in their operations. An 

 artificial swarm should be put into such a hive in May 

 or June, and taken out again in September — never later, 

 for there are often cold nights in October, when, the bees 

 and brood being in near contact with the glass, and not 

 being able to cluster as is their natural wont, they suffer 

 greatly from the variations of temperature. 



The population of each hive must also be well looked 

 to, and if needful the uniting processes (page 229) must 

 be carried out before the Michaelmas feeding. Hives 

 that are to be so united should be gradually brought near 

 together, if not so already. 



The innermost combs, having been the ones most em- 

 ployed for breeding, will now be the ones least occupied 

 with honey. It is therefore advisable to transpose them 

 with fuller ones, in order to keep the bees clustered in 

 the centre. They must not, however, have drone comb 

 thus given them. In order to give them communication 

 through the combs, "the apiarian should," says Lang- 

 stroth, " late in the fall, cut with a penknife a hole an 

 inch in diameter in the centre of each comb, about one- 

 third from the top." This is for_the purpose of allowing 

 the bees in cold weather to move in a body, without 

 going outside the frames, from combs where they have 



