BEE-KEEPERS' AXIOMS. 521 



7th. In districts wliere forage is abundant only for a short 

 period, the largest yield of honey will be secured by a very 

 moderate increase of colonies. 



Stli. A moderate increase of colonies in any one season, 

 will, in the long run, prove to be. the easiest, safest, and 

 cheapest mode of managing bees. 



9th. Queenless colonies, unless supplied with a queen, 

 will inevitably dwindle away, or be destroyed by the bee- 

 moth, or by robber-bees. 



10th. It must be obvious, to every intelligent bee-keeper, 

 that the perfect control of the combs of the hive is the soul of 

 a system of practical management, lohichmay be modified to 

 suit the wants of all who cultivate bees. 



11th. A man, who knows ^'' all about bees," and does not 

 believe that anything more can be gained by reading Bee- 

 Journals, new bee-books, etc., will soon be far behind the 

 age. Yet, as what is written in the journals and books, ours 

 included, is not always perfectly correct, every bee-keeper 

 should try to sift the grain from the chaff. 



12th. The formation of new colonies should ordinarily be 

 confined to the season when bees are accumulating honey ; 

 and if this, or any other operation must be performed, when 

 forage is scarce, the greatest precautions should be used 

 to prevent robbing. 



The essence of all profitable bee-keeping is contained in 

 Oettl's Golden Rule : keep tour colonies strong. If you 

 cannot succeed in doing this, the more money you invest 

 in bees, the heavier will be your losses ; while, if your col- 

 onies are strong you will show that you are a bee-master, as 

 well as a bee-keeper, and may safely calculate on generous 

 returns from your industrious subjects. 



