160 BEES AND BEE-KEEPING. 



others until the hive is full ; they will soon be filled 

 with combs and honey, unless the yield of honey 

 should fail. 



It would be well to remark, before leaving this 

 subject, that the only proper time for making artifi- 

 cial swarms, by any of the plans described, is when 

 they are breeding rapidly and storing honey plenti- 

 fully, the weather being warm and pleasant. Should 

 the honey season fail, however, before the hives are 

 all filled, which frequently occurs in some localities, 

 it will pay a good interest on the cost of getting 

 sugar to feed them with. From a gill to a pint of 

 syrup per day to the colony, will keep them build- 

 ing comb, rearing brood, gathering pollen, &c. It 

 is a singular fact, that bees will gather little if any 

 pollen when no honey can be obtained abroad, al- 

 though a good supply may be in the hive at the same 

 time. As an evidenee of this, give a strong colony 

 a few combs of honey, or a dish of syrup, in the 

 afternoon of a clear, warm day, say about three 

 o'clock, when they have ceased to carry in either 

 honey or pollen, and in an incredibly short time they 

 will commence to carry pollen very rapidly, showing 

 that it can be obtained after the supply of honey for 

 the day is exhausted. 



A PLAN TO PREVENT BEES LEAVING THE NEW COLONY 

 AND RETURNING TO THE OLD ONE. 



When a new colony is made in either way de- 

 scribed, close the hive to prevent any bees from 

 escaping, being careful to ventilate properly, lest 



