GOLDEN RULES. 189 



little of my experience to prove the correctness of the 

 golden rule. I had four stocks of bees which I worked to 

 prove the rule; three contained perhaps 15,000 bees in 

 each hive; the other or fourth stock was very strong, and 

 perhaps would contain 40,000, if correctly counted. The 

 result in the autumn confirmed my rule ; the strong colony 

 stored a third more honey than all the other three stocks; 

 all the summer they worked most industriously, while the 

 weak stocks appeared careless, or to have no heart for 

 labour. 



It is a very easy matter to keep your stocks alive and 

 prosperous when the sun shines, or during the summer 

 months, but it is quite different in the winter; then your 

 stocks die away sometimes, and you are scarcely able to 

 tell why. One thing should not be overlooked: If your 

 stocks are strong in the autumn, and have sufficient food 

 to supply them during the whole winter, with a strong 

 vigorous queen at their head, you will have little cause to 

 fear ; they will winter well, and come out next spring pre- 

 pared for another season's labours. 



Write out the following and affix it in your apiary, 

 at all events do not let it escape your memory: — "A 

 strong colony will consume much less food during winter 

 than a weak one." This may seem paradoxical, but it is 

 the experience of all the bee-keepers with whom we have 

 conversed, especially of those who are thoroughly ac- 

 quainted with the habits and economy of the insects. A 

 weak stock is continually moving about in the hive, and 

 do what they will they cannot keep up the temperature 

 except by consuming a large quantity of honey; on the 

 other hand, strong colonies cluster closer together in large 

 masses, and seldom move about ; they can thus keep up 

 an even temperature without eating so much food. On 

 this plea it is wiser to keep strong stocks of bees than 

 feeble ones. 



