204 LOSS OF QUEENS. 



quent in spring, ai least, it is generally discovered then. 

 The queen may die in winter, and the bees give no indica- 

 tions of it until they come out in spring. Occasionally, 

 they may all desert the hive, and join another. If we ex- 

 pect to ascertain when a queen is lost at this season, we 

 must notice them just before dark on the first warm days, 

 because the mornings are apt to be too cool for any bees 

 to be outside ; any unusual stir or commotion, similar to 

 what has been described, indicates the loss. This is the 

 most difficult time of the year to provide the remedy, un- 

 less there should happen to be some very poor stock con- 

 taining a queen, that we might lose any way, which it 

 would be judicious to sacrifice to save the other, especially 

 if the latter contains all the requisites of a good stock, ex- 

 cept a queen. As soon as drones appear, it would do to 

 take a queen from a strong stock, as just mentioned. In 

 such a case, the movable comb hive is an advantage. 

 Combs from some full hive containing considerable brood, 

 occasionally introduced into a queenless one, will be a great 

 help to the colony, and keep it in a thriving condition, un- 

 til a queen can be procured. They will probably raise 

 one immediately on receiving the brood, but if it be too 

 long before there are drones, she will prove a drone queen, 

 and must be destroyed, and another substituted. If empty 

 combs can be supplied to the hive from which such brood 

 combs are taken, scarcely any difference will be observed 

 in their prosperity. 



Thus far in my experience with the Italians, I have ob- 

 sei-ved that they seldom lose their queens. 



