and its Economic Management. 39- 



filled with honey and neatly capped, while one or more 

 of the combs at one or both sides will often be a solid 

 block of honey. Meanwhile the population has been 

 entirely renewed by the brood hatching in successive 

 batches, but presently no more store is to be gathered^ 

 and then the drones are destroyed ; the size of the brood 

 nest is greatly diminished, until by September brood 

 rearing ceases entirely, unless there be a queen of the 

 current year, and in that case, with plenty of food on 

 hand, it will be continued until late into October. The 

 whole of the stores accumulated by a swarm thus left to 

 itself will seldom exceed 20 lbs., but let the reader com- 

 pare this with the product of a swarm worked as explained 

 under " General Management," and he will find that there 

 is but poor economy in the " let-'em-alone " policy. 



As the cool weather comes on, the bees which but 

 lately appeared to fill the hive, crowd into a compact 

 mass, occupying not one-tenth of the space. The winter 

 cluster is formed where brood has lately been hatched^ 

 towards the central lower part of the comb ; thus the 

 bees are able to enter these cells, head to head on opposite 

 sides, as well as cluster between, forming an unbroken 

 mass, and so keeping up the necessary temperature. In 

 this state the bees do not rely upon any outside covering 

 other than simple protection from direct draught. The 

 older the combs the more protection is afforded in 

 Winter ; but one wall of the hive, at least, that on the 

 south side, can hardly be too thin, as an occasional gleam 

 of sunshine penetrates at once, and so enables the bees to 

 shift their position, and re-arrange the stores around the 

 cluster, even though the temperature may be too low for 

 any to fly out. Therefore, wherever the entrance may be 

 placed, it is absolutely necessary that the frames of comb- 

 shall stand end on to the south wall. 



