FORTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES. Ill 



possibly you have not noticed so clearly that something 

 like the same rule holds good about building up in spring. 

 Take a colony that comes out of the cellar with only 

 enough bees to cover two combs. It will remain at a 

 stand-still for a long time. Indeed, it may not stand 

 still, but may become weaker, so that it will not have as 

 much brood June i as May i, with a possibility of peg- 



Fig. 35. — Part of Hume Apiary {from Southwest) . 



ging out altogether before the harvest opens. On the 

 other hand a colony with bees enough to cover well three 

 frames is likely to hold its own, beginning to increase 

 slowly as soon as weather permits ; and if it has bees 

 enough to cover four frames it will walk right along in- 

 creasing its brood-nest. 



GIVING BROOD TO STRONGER. 



Shall I take frames of brood from strong colonies to 

 give to the weakHngs? Not I. For the damage to the 



