64 THE BOOK OF BEE-KEEPINO. 



time might be occupied in a more profitable manner. We 

 should desire to see this manipulation banished entirely from 

 the pages of all bee manuals. 



111. Autamn Management. — Directly after the honey- 

 flow ceases, the bees will commence to rob where they have the 

 opportunity ; any weak colony will be a desirable object for their 

 attention, therefore preventive measures should be taken (see 

 "Robbing," par 117) to stop this inveterate habit of the bee. 



All colonies should be thoroughly examined to see that there 

 are none queenless ; when any are so found, a queen must be 

 introduced (see " Queen Introduction," pars 124, 125). 



Any supers which have been allowed to remain on the hives 

 must be removed, as the honey contained therein will be taken 

 down into the body of the hive as soon as cool nights set in. 

 Should there be any partially filled sections, these can either be 

 extracted or placed behind the division-board — which must be 

 raised up ain. from the floor-board^for the bees to clear out. 



From the beginning until the end of August the queen should 

 be kept breeding ; this cannot be if the combs in the centre 

 of the hive are full of honey ; extract three or four frames, and 

 place them in the middle of the brood-nest, removing some of 

 the outside ones to make room for them. The young bees 

 hatched at this season will be of great benefit to the hive in 

 early spring. Supersede all old or worthless queens. 



Drive bees from cottagers' skeps, and unite them to any 

 hives that have become depopulated. Strong colonies always 

 winter better than weak ones. Second and third swarms — 

 usually weak — should be united to form strong colonies, and 

 then fed up. The youngest or most desirable queen in all 

 cases should be kept. 



As soon as September arrives, feed up all colonies as quickly as 

 possible (see " Autumn Feeding," par. 105). When this has been 

 done, prepare them for the coming winter. Each comb should 

 have a winter passage cut through it ; this is a hole about Jin. 

 in diameter. Cut by means of a pointed knife, thrust through 

 at about two-thirds the height of the comb, when, by giving 

 the knife a twist, a circular hole is made. These holes enable 

 the bees to alter their position from comb to comb without 

 passing through the cold atmosphere at bottom of hive. A 

 better plan — one that does not disfigure the combs — is to place 

 narrow pieces of wood, about fin. thick, here and there on top 

 of the frames ; when the quilts are laid over these they form 

 tunnels for the bees to pass over the tops of the combs. Many 

 bee-keepers reduce the number of frames in the body-box for the 

 bees to winter upon ; where combs are wanted for other purposes, 

 this can be done, but if not wanted leave them in the hive. 

 We have failed to discover any advantage by removal. 



