28 



F,ii' t:ie lli-st two wi'rks ..f her lifr the Mni-ker does iusidr woi-k only, her reereatioii 

 l.eiiiua, slMirt lli-ht al..ii,^ with tliousaiids of her kiiMli-ounil the liive entrance in tlie 

 heal (if tlie (la\-. These pkiy-spells are sometimes mistaken for swarms coniiiiy uft, so 



numerous her le the ^■o^lng workers in miilsiimmer. At the end of two weeks tlie 



•norker heeouu-s a helder— that is, a ]iro\i(lei'. It is worth while to note, for it is of 

 praeiieal value in liive luanagcriient , tliat five weeks elapse from the laying of the egg 

 to tlie day when the young «orker carries in her first load of neetar. 



CHAPTER VI. 



The Cycle of the Bee-year in British Columbia. 



Since hees pass the cold days of winter in a semi-dormant condition, flying freely 

 only on Hue sunny days when the thernumieter is at least 4S" in the shade, one is 

 tempted to consider that the hee-year will start M-ith the earrj'ing in of the first pollen, 

 which occurs in the coast regions of the Province towards the end of February — in 

 Victoria as early as the 2'2nd, and in the dry helt a few weeks later ; March I2th in 

 the Okanagan. As the prohalile date draws nigh, even the ohlest bee-keepers kindle 

 with enthusiasm and watch for the first bee that is canying the brilliant-lmed pellets 

 on her hind legs. Not only does he rejoice over the prospect of once more V)eing active 

 with a pleasant part of his life, but wdien he sees bee after bee alighting with her load 

 he kno\\'s almost to a certainty that brood-raising has been started and all is well with 

 the (|ueen. If, ho\^'ever, he oViserves a hive where no pollen is Iieing cairied in, v\hile 

 others are biiS3', '^^ ■'^ suspicious that the queen has dietl in the course of the winter. 

 He makes note of all such colonies and at the first favourable opportunity, that is 

 a da3' when the sun shines brightly, the air is quiet, and the temperature is 

 comfortably warm, rapidly learns whether the colonj^ is queen right or not. Opening 

 the hive, he chooses a fi'ame in the middle of the cluster, looks into the cells to discover 

 the presence or absence of eggs or larv;e. When these are found he investigates no 

 further, but if they are wanting he will in.speet the balance of the frames. Failing to 

 find signs of brood, he \vill then look for the queen, an easy task at this time of the 

 year. If she be located all is .satisfactory ; if not the ease is very .suspicious, but it 

 does not do to assume she is actually missing. But if on examination a week later the 

 same conditicjns exist, then the colony should be eoudiined with one that has a (queen. 

 {See cha])ter 13.) 



FssEXTi.iLS l^■ Si'iaxo. 



The most essential features (jf a hive when pollen begins to be carried in are : the 

 sure presence of a (pieen, lots of bees, and plenty of stores— that is, honey or its substi- 

 tute, sugar .syrup. The lack of a queen means certain death to the colony in a few 

 weeks. A hive weak in bees will develop strength very slowly, or dwindle out of 

 existence, while one without stores may die of starvation or do little more than hold 

 its own during the spring nif.inths. 



The food sujiply is largely luider the ciintrol of the bee-keeper, and at one time 

 spring feeduig with sugar syrup was strongly advocated, but in recent years it is 

 considered that the best time to feed for spring consumption is in the autumn of the 

 previous year. So the nuxlern bee-keeper, in September or October, begins to put his 

 bees ur shape for the honey-flow in .June, by making certain that there are at least 25 

 pounds of honey, or the e(iuivalent in sugar .syrup, m every colony. 



