MJNAGEMENT OF BEE-FAP.MER'S HIVE. 23 



with confidence trust the bees to build it evenly down to 

 the base. 



It is, moreover, impossible to use an uneven honey- 

 comb in the Italian Extractor without breaking it ; but 

 the even comb is a perfect pleasure to place in the pan of 

 the extractor ; it comes out again perfect and clean from 

 honey. After you have thus expended a little care on the 

 foundations of the cells, no other care is needed ; your bees 

 will take to their comfortable home, and work with vigour 

 to fill it with comb. This they accomplish in about a 

 fortnight. 



When taking out each end-bar to run through the 

 extractor, do not disturb the central combs, for the queen 

 is seldom seen away from the middle bars. A good plan 

 is to keep a soft hand-brush in readiness, to brush off the 

 bees from the comb into the hive when taking out the bars. 



At the end of the honey-harvest, not later than 15th 

 September, take out every bar in succession, carefully 

 brush off the bees from each, and run the bars through the 

 extractor. Do not leave a pound of honey in the hive. 



Syrup will answer every purpose for winter food, and 

 your bees will thrive as well upon it as upon honey. You 

 will thus effect another large saving, which is not available 

 in the straw-hives. You will have, probably, twenty 

 pounds of good clean honey for sale, worth thirty shillings, 

 and you give them in return five shillings' worth of sugar. 

 When you commence to feed for the winter, give them 

 about twenty pounds of good syrup, and at once make up 

 the stock for the winter. To keep feeding for two or 

 three weeks only unsettles the whole apiary, and leads to 

 fighting and fearful losses. We feed each stock in about 

 three days, then screw them up securely. 



The question is sometimes raised whether it is best to 

 keep each stock on a separate stand, or to put several side 

 by side ; we have no doubtsi about it. Keep each stock 



