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54 MONTANA EXPERIMENT ,STATION 
after about the tenth to the fifteenth of August there is no chance 
of securing surplus honey. If the top stories be left on the bees 
may store in them, but this is very detrimental as then the honey 
is scattered and not compactly stored as it should be in the brood 
chamber. So that after the last extraction, about the tenth of 
August, the combs should be returned only for a day or two until 
the bees have cleaned them up, when the stories should be rernoved 
and packed away for the winter. In the case of supers the satre 
rule applies. In fact, there is no use in putting on empty. supers 
after the last of July, except perhaps in an unusually goed year. 
The bees will then continue to work for about two months, 
gathering enough in that time to keep the queen laying and so keep 
iip the strength of the colony and leave them strong enough for 
the winter. Most colonies unless exceptionally .weak will store 
enough honey for their winter supply. If there are any weak colonies 
when finally examined before winter, they should at this time be 
strengthened up with brood from the exceptionally strong colonies 
or else united with other weak colonies. In this climate where the 
winters are long and severe it is particularly desirable that weak 
colonies be doubled up since if left separate they are almost sure 
to perish before spring. The two or three colonies to be united, if 
near each other, should be brought gradually side by side moving 
them a little each day. All but one should be made queenless, 
selecting to be preserved the best queen, or, if there is no difference, 
retaining the one in the largest of the colonies to be united. Then 
after these preliminaries, When the colonies have had time to real- 
ize their queenless condition, which will perhaps be a day or so, 
just at dusk the combs of bees may be set over into the hive selected 
to hold the new colony. Before doing this the queen with a few 
bees should be confined in a wire-cloth cage, commonly used for 
introducing queens and described in detail in the section on queen 
rearing. After the bees are all in together it is well to smoke them 
thoroughly. Some beekeeers practice sprinkling a little sugar 
syrup over the bees, just enough to feed them well, but not enough 
to daub them seriously. It is often well to feed them a little,..and 
ir all cases it should be seen that enough honey is in the colony 
to keep them through the winter. 
There are various forms of feeders mainly of two types,—one 
where the bees come directly in contact with the vessel of syrup 
