and its Economic Management 167 



evening all the bees congregate to the hive, but they would 

 not in the daytime, besides being liable to get robbed out. 



The fact is, with cool evenings often experienced in autumn, 

 many bees are lost by not being able to note their location ; 

 whereas in the middle of the day they gradually settle down to 

 the one spot like a new swarm and not one is lost, while the bee- 

 keeper is able to find his extra queens and is in no trouble about 

 darkness coming upon him before he has half finished. 



Place the Frame-hives in Position, 



quite empty, and shoot in the bees, taking care that only one 

 queen is left to preside over the two, three, or more lots united. 

 Now get your stored combs, or those fresh from the extractor, 

 and arrange them in position ; put on the quilt and cover all 

 securely, leaving the entrance several inches wide. As the stores 

 are inserted just before closing no robber bees are on hand ; but 

 where empty combs or foundation have to be inserted, feed care- 

 fully until the hive is well stored. 



Taking average lots, the number to put together to make a 

 fair stock should be as follows, according to the manner in which 

 their house may be furnished — with stored combs, two swarms ; 

 with empty combs, three ; foundation, four. 



Uniting to other Stocks. 



A wasteful plan, which results only in loss of bees and time, 

 is that of adding driven bees to weak colonies at home. Without 

 considering that fighting is almost certain to cause the death of 

 thousands in the hands of many bee-keepers, but too frequently 

 these bees only die out before winter is half over, leaving the 

 stock worse off than before. 



To be in any way satisfactory the driven bees must first be 

 made to develop a fair-sized brood nest in another hive on the 

 spare combs of such lot ; when plenty of young bees are hatching 

 then unite to your weak lot, saving the queen most to be desired. 

 Feed and prepare for winter as hitherto shown. 



