80 BEE CULTURE, 
ROBBER BEES. 
If all the colonies are kept strong there is no danger of 
robbing. It is only the weak ones that are robbed. Working 
with bees at unseasonable times, leaving honey exposed in 
the apiary, etc., induces robbing. Colonies of black bees and 
nuclei are usually the sufferers. Contracting the entrance, so 
that but a single bee can pass, is usually a cure for robbing. 
In times of scarcity of honey, the apiarist should be careful 
not to keep a hive open long, or robbing may be tie result. 
All strong colonies maintain sentinels at the entrance in 
times of scarcity. Those of that colony are allowed to pass, 
but strangers are “arrested on the spot.” If a colony is 
unable to defend itself, close up the entrance with wire cloth 
and remove it to the cellar, or some other convenient place, 
Fia. 50.—Hill’s Swarm Catcher. 
for a few days, and when it is returned to the old stand, con- 
tract the entrance to allow only one bee to pass at a time. 
FEEDING BEES. 
Feeding early in the spring is advisable to stimulate breed- 
ing, and keep the colony strong, so that when the early bloom 
comes it may be strong enough to gather the delicious nectar. 
Whenever there is any necessity for it, feeding pays; 
especially in the fall, before preparing for winter, if their 
stores are insufficient, feed them ; each colony should have at 
least thirty pounds of good capped honey. 
Extracted honey, or coffee A sugar, reduced to the consis- 
tency of honey, is best for feeding, in the absence of good 
sealed honey. The poorer grades of sugar and glucose are 
