54 OtJTAPlARlES 



At this exaniinution it wiH pay to regulate the entrance of 

 each colony commensurate with its strength, reducing the weak 

 or queenless to a very small bee space and enlarging the entrance 

 of the stronger colonies. 



Feed should be at hand to replenish such as have run short 

 through one cause or another. 



]\Iany apiarists practice leveling hives on this first round. It 

 may be advisable, however, to delay this until later when all 

 settling of the ground will have cea.'-ed. 



Second Examination 



The first examination, of necessity, will be superficial owing 

 to its carlincss. One should be wary of disturbing the cluster 

 to look for stores, queens, or disease. This may well be attempted 

 however, on the second trip which will be made as soon as settled 

 weather has arrived. 



Drone-Layers and Queenless Colonies 



In a majority of instances it will not pay to spend valuable 

 time on drone-laying or queenless colonies. It is with difficulty 

 that queens are secured at this season and such colonies generally 

 are very hard to get queen -right. Probably the best procedure 

 is to unite all such colonies by Dr. Miller's newspaper plan. This 

 may also lie advisable with weak queen-right colonies. 

 These may profitaljly be united with drone-layers after the drone- 

 laying queen has first been found and disposed of. I n a majority 

 of instan ces, however, it will be more profitable to unite a drone- 

 l ayer or a queenlesfi c olonv w i th anoth er strong and queen-right 

 c olony rather than unit e several weaker colonies . 



Feeding — Spring Dwindling 



If the beekeeper has been foresighted, he will so have prepared 

 his colonies for winter that little feeding will have to be done in 



