218 FORTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES. 



time. Of course I couldn't build a haystack about the four 

 stories, but I had to do something, for aUhough the col- 

 ony was a powerful one it was utterly inadequate to the 

 protection of four exposed stories, and without any in- 

 terference on my part its doom was sealed. I closed all 

 entrances except the lower one, and then applied the hay 

 and water to the lower story successfully. 



PILES IN LATE SUMMER. 



During the usual working season there is need of 

 some foolishness on the part of the bee-keeper to start 

 robbing at a pile having a strong colony, but after the 

 weather becomes quite cool toward fall, the case is differ- 

 ent. Of course, all but the lower entrance should be 

 closed before cold nights come, but sometimes there is a 

 case of neglect. In a cold night the colony shrinks down 

 into the lower or the lower two stories — all the more 

 because there is a current of air right through the hive 

 — and the two or three upper stories are left without any 

 bees. 



In the following morning they do not go up again 

 into the upper stories till some time after the weather has 

 warmed up. The robbers, however, do not wait so long, 

 but finding an upper entrance unprotected go to work in 

 lively style. 



As late as October 6, in the year 1902, a pile was 

 left with an upper entrance or ventilating space still 

 open, and on the forenoon of that day I observed lively 

 work at that place, while all was quiet at the lower or 

 regular entrance. I shoved the cover back so as to close 

 the space, and then took a snap-shot of the bees trying 

 to get in, as shown in Fig. 81. Only two stories show 

 in the picture, although the pile was four stories high. 

 Fortunately no other place was open except the regular 

 lower entrance, and it was so far from top to bottom that 



