I go A Modern Bee Farm 



colonies about mid-winter at the centre of the cluster, is 

 not in itself a disturbing influence, for as yet its extent 

 is never developed beyond the means at hand for its 

 moderate continuance. But wfhen the owner begins 

 unduly to feed candy, and meal added thereto, then the 

 elements of additional unnecessary excitement are 

 immediately apparent in a large death rate caused by the 

 premature flight of the workers in search of large 

 quantities of water. The cluster expands unnaturally and 

 thereafter a serious drain is made upon the vitality of the 

 bees in keeping up a higher temperature generally. 



It is far more profitable to leave natural conditions 

 undisturbed until spring fairly, opens, when the first balmy 

 day which permits of a large ingathering of natural pollen 

 will see the last of the hibernating cluster, and then judicious 

 feeding will carry forward a rapidly advancing condition 

 of progress. 



Queenlessness. 



A colony losing its queen before or during winter, will 

 seldom hibernate perfectly, unless they are fortunate 

 enough to have a small patch of eggs left by her from 

 which they raise another though of course a useless queen. 

 The only drawback then is the loss of time before another 

 queen can be supplied to recuperate the population. 

 With no possibility of rearing a substitute, the bees though 

 overcoming the first stage of extreme excitement, can not 

 rest naturally, and the consequence is the stores are 

 rapidly consumed, and even if dysentry does not intervene 

 the bees are scarcely worth uniting to another stock by 

 the time suitable weather for such operations arrives. I 

 frequently leave late virgin queens with stocks when 

 failing to mate in autumn, and unite during the following 

 February cr March to some other hive with a fertile 

 queen, the stock hibernating perfectly meanwhile. 



