PRIMABY SWARM. 229 



the ease with which they may be managed (72) is not at all 

 exaggerated. 



440. Bees which swai-ui early in the day will generally 

 begin to range the iields in a few hours after they are hived, 

 or even in a few minutes, if they ha\-e empty comb; and 

 the fewest bees will be lost when the hive is remi)\ed to its 

 permanent stand, as soon as the bees have entered it. If it 

 is desirable, for any reason, to remove the hive befoi'e all 

 the bees have gone in, the sheet, on which the bees are lying, 

 may be so folded that the colony can be easily carried to their 

 Jiev stand, where the bees may enter at their leisure. 



While the hive should be set so as to incline slightly from 

 rear to front (327), to shed the rain, there ought not to be 

 the least pitch from side to side, or it will prevent the frames 

 from hanging plumb, and compel the bees to build crooked 

 combs. 



441. If several rainy days, or a dearth of honey, should 

 occur immediately after the hiving of bees, it is well to feed 

 (606) them a little to keep them from starving, till there is 



honey in the blossoms. 



442. The Apiarist has already been informed of the im- 

 portance of securing straight worker combs for his hives 

 (223). To a stock-hive, such combs are like cash capital 'to 

 a business man ; and so long as they are fit for use, they 

 'should never be destroyed. 



Mr. S. Wagner had a colony over 21 years old, whose young 

 bees appeared to be as large as any others in his apiary. Mr. 

 J. F. Racine, an old settler of Wallen, Indiana, lost a colony 

 in the Winter of 1884-5 which he had had ever since 1855, 

 without changing the combs. He considered it one of the best 

 in his apiary. 



We have ourselves kept colonies of bees without changing 

 any but the very blackest combs, for thirty years or more. 

 As long as a queen will utilize combs by laying eggs in them, 

 they may be considered as good as any. 



Those who have plentj' of good worker-comb, will unques- 



