g2 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



ed, but generally there is no record made beyond those men- 

 tioned. 



MENDING COMBS. 



In handling the combs, if any are found with drone-comb 

 or with holes in them, and if we are not too crowded for time, 

 the defects are remedied. Very likely I may turn over these 

 combs to my assistant, who mends them before they are re- 

 turned to the hive. The usual plan is to mend them in this way : 



She takes a common tea-knife with a thin, narrow, sharp 

 blade, cuts out the piece of drone-comb if the hole is not already 

 made, lays the frame over a piece of worker-comb (this piece 

 of worker-comb may be the part or whole of some old or objec- 

 tionable comb), with the point of the knife marks out the exact 

 size and shape of the hole, removes the frame, cuts out the piece 

 and crowds it into the hole. 



Or the following plan may be used, especially if the frame 

 is wired: After the hole is paade (the mice have probably made 

 the holes in the wired frames), the cells on one side are cut 

 away to the base for a distance of % to % inch from the hole, 

 and a piece of foundation cut to the right size is placed over 

 the hole and the edge pressed down upon the base that sur- 

 rounds the hole. The foundation must not be too cold. Before 

 fall these patches cannot be detected, unless by the lighter color 

 where the foundation has been used. 



HIVES NOT PAINTED. 



Now that the apiary is all in running order, you may want 

 to take a look at it. You "don't think it looks remarkably 

 neat"? Neither do I. If I had only a dozen colonies and were 

 keeping them for the pleasure of it, I should have their hives 

 painted, perhaps ornamented with scroll work, but please re- 

 member that I am keeping them for profit, and I cannot afford 

 anything for looks. I suppose they would last longer if paint- 

 ed, but hardly enough longer to pay for the paint. Besides, in 

 the many changes constantly taking place, how do I know that 

 I may not want to throw these aside and adopt a new hive? 



