Secure Late Breeding. 295 



guessbig meant darvation, of good capped honey (coffee A 

 sugar is just as good). If desired this may be fed as previ- 

 ously explained, which should be done so early that all will 

 be capped during the warm days of October. 



The bees should be able to pass over or through the combs. 

 Hill's device — bent pieces placed above the frames so as to 

 raise the cloth cover — will permit the first, while small holes 

 cut through the combs will enable the bees to pass from one 

 comb to another without having to pass around. These holes 

 may be cut with a knife, or a tin tube the size of one's finger 

 may be driven through the comb, and left in if desired, in 

 which case the comb should be pushed out of the tube, and 

 the tube should be no longer than the comb is thick. This 

 preparatory work I always . do early in October, when I ex- 

 tract all uncapped honey, take out all frames after I have 

 given each colony the thirty pounds, by weight, of honey, con- 

 fine the space with a division-board, cover with the quilt and 

 chaff, and then leave undisturbed till the cold of November 

 calls for further care. I prefer that the combs have no pollen 

 in them, and that they be so full of honey that six or eight will 

 be enough. Pollen usually does no harm, though sometimes 

 it is injurious. The combs may well be one-half inch apart. 

 If the bees have been neglected, and mid-winter finds them 

 destitute of stores, then they should not be fed liquid honey, 

 though this has sometimes been done with success, but either 

 the Good or Viallon or some other solid candy should be placed 

 on the frames just above the cluster. Or we may run the 

 candy into a frame, and hang it in the hive. 



SECURE LATE BREEDING. 



Keep the bees breeding till the first of October. Except 

 in years of excessive drouth, this will occur in many parts of 

 the country without extra care. Failure may result from the 

 presence of worthless queens. Any queens which seem not 

 to be prolific should be superseded whenever the fact becomes 

 evident. I regard this as most important. Few know how 

 much is lost by tolerating feeble, impotent queens in the apia- 

 ry, whose ability can only keep the colonies alive. Never 

 keep such queens about. Here, then, is another reason for 

 always keeping extra queens on hand. Even with excellent 



