232 AUSTRALASIAN . 
advantage of the honey season from its commencement. Much 
of the gseason’s success depends upon good management in 
spring. Whatever may be the desire of the bee-keeper— 
whether it be to take all the honey he can, to increase his 
colonies at the expense of honey, or to secure a share of both— 
the management in early spring will be the same. 
On the first favourable opportunity, after breeding has com- 
menced, an examination of the stocks should be made and the 
condition of each noted for future reference. The first point 
is to see that they have a plentiful supply of food, any de- 
ficiency to be made up in the manner explained under the 
head of ‘‘ Feeding” ; and the next, to confine the bees on to 
as few combs as they can cover. The object of this is to con- 
serve the heat of the bees as much as possible for the benefit 
of brood-rearing. Hives containing less than will cover seven 
frames should be contracted by division boards (Fig. 108), and 
where there are not sufficient bees to cover four or five frames, 
unless the colony has a young and valuable queen, it would be 
better to unite it with another (see page 249). It should be 
borne in mind that—other circumstances being equal—the 
more bees there are to cover the brood the more rapid will 
brood-rearing proceed. 
DIVISION BOARDS. 
No bee-keeper should be without a supply of these on hand, 
as they are often most valuable in winter and early spring. 
Fig. 108.—DIVISION BOARD, 
With the aid of a pair of close-fitting division boards I have 
been able to keep up brood-rearing in small colonies all through 
he winter. A hive can be contracted to any size, and be 
