318 UNITING STOCKS. 



If the Apiarian wishes to save any small colonies, he can 

 confine them to one half or one third of the central part of 

 the hive, and fill the empty ends with straw, shavings, or 

 any good non-conductor of heat. Any one of the frames, 

 can, in a few minutes, by being wrapped around with a 

 piece of old cotton cloth, or even a newspaper, be fashioned 

 into a divider, which will answer all practical purposes, and 

 if stuffed with cotton waste, &c., it will keep the bees un- 

 commonly warm. If a very small colony is to be preserved 

 over Winter, the queen must be confined, in the Fall, and 

 until cold weather, by the device spoken of at the bottom of 

 the page, to prevent the bees from deserting the hive. 



I shall now show how the bee-keeper who does not desire 

 to increase his slocks, may yet obtain from a given number, 

 the largest quantity of surplus honey. If his bees are kept 

 in non-swarming hives, he may undoubtedly, reap a boun- 

 teous harvest from the avails of their industry. I do not, 

 liowever, give the preference to this mode of bee-keeping ; 

 still there are many so situated that it may be much the best 

 for them. Such persons, by using my hives, can pursue the 

 non-swarming plan to the best advantage. They can man- 

 age so as to confine their queens, and thus be sure that their 

 colonies will not suddenly leave them ; a casually to which all 

 other non-swarming hives are sometimes liable ; and by 

 taking away the honey in small quantities, they will always 

 give the bees ample room for storage, and yet avoid the dis- 

 couragement which often follows, when large boxes are 

 taken from them. 



I have, at last, (July, 1856,) brought the device for pre- 

 venting swarming, spoken of on page 202, to such perfec- 

 tion that it can easily be applied to almost any hive, and un- 

 less some consequences, now unforeseen, attend its use, the 

 old queen may always be safely compelled to remain in the 



