LOSS OF QUEENS. 201 



very diflFerent; the combs ave unprotected by a covering 

 of bees, the moth deposits her eggs on them, and the 

 Avorms soon finish up the whole. The bees from the other 

 stocks will generally first remove the honey. Hundreds 

 of bee-keepers lose some of their stocks in this way, and 

 can assign no reasonable cause. " Why," say they, " there 

 wasn't twenty bees in the hive ; it was aU full of honey," 

 or worms, as the case may be. " Only a short time before,' 

 it was full of bees ; I got three good swarms from it, and 

 it always has been first-rate, but all at once the bees were 

 gone. I don't understand it !" 



AGE OF BEES. 



Such bee-keepers do not understand how rapidly a fam- 

 ily of bees diminishes, when there is no queen to counter- 

 balance with young, this regular decrease. I doubt 

 whether the largest and best family could possibly be made 

 to exist more than six months, without a queen for their 

 renewal, except perhaps during the winter; 



As this tumult can be seen but a few days at most, it is 

 -weWyjes, necessary to make it a duty to glance at the hive 

 every morning, at this period after swarming ; a glance 

 is sufiicient to discover the J&ct. Remember to reekon- 

 from the date of the first issue ; this occurs when the first 

 royal cells are sealed over, and is' the best criterion by 

 which to judge when the queen will leave. 



KEMBDT. 



When a loss is discovered, fii-st ascertain if there is any 

 after-swarm to be expected from another stock, by Usten- 

 ing for the piping; if so^ wait till it issues, and obtain a 

 queen from that, for your stock. Even if there is but one, 

 take it, and let the bees return ; they will probably come 



