370 THE HIVE AND HONEY-BEE. 



short period, the largest yield of honey will be secured 

 by a tiery moderate increase of stocks. 



8th. A moderate increase of colonies in any one season, 

 will, in the long run, prove to be the easiest, safest, and 

 cheapest mode of managing bees. 



9th. ■Queenless colonies, unless supplied with a queen, 

 will inevitably dwindle away, or be destroyed by the 

 bee-moth, or by robber-bees. 



10th. The formation of new colonies should ordinarily 

 be -confined to the season when bees are accumulating 

 honey ; and if this, or any other operation must be per- 

 formed, when forage is scarce, the greatest precautions 

 should be used to prevent robbing. 



The essence of all profitable bee-keeping is contained in 

 Oettl's Golden Rule: keep toue stocks steong (p. 303). 

 ?if you cannot succeed in doing this, the more money you 

 invest in bees, the heavier will be your losses ; while, if 

 your stocks are strong,- you will show that you are a heer 

 master^ as well as a bee-keeper, and may safely calculate 

 on generous returns from your industrious subjects. 



13« 



