36 MANUAL OF APICULTURE. 
or so, but a weak stock compared then with a strong one whose young 
bees are not flying might be regarded as very populous. The young bees 
sporting in front of the hive may be known by their light, fuzzy appear- 
ance, and by the fact that as they take wing to leave the hive they turn 
their heads toward the entrance and sail about it in semicircles, fre- 
quently alighting on the flight board and taking wing again. They are 
thus marking the location of the hive so as to be able to return to it, 
for an attempt to enter another hive might result fatally to them. They 
finally fly away in constantly widening circles. Field workers used to 
the location fly in a direct line away from the hive. When the young 
bees return they do not alight at once as do the field workers laden 
with honey, but generally hover about the entrance until certain they 
have reached the right hive. Having noted by their flight which stocks 
seem to have the most bees, a closer examination can be made by blow- 
ing a little smoke of any sort into the entrances and tipping the hives 
back, if they stand on loose bottom boards. When not so constructed 
the examination must, of course, be made by removing the top covering, 
or if the combs are built in frames, some of these. 
In addition to the strength of the colony, the number of combs con- 
taining brood, straightness, kind and age of combs, amount of honey 
on hand, the cleanliness and healthfuluess of the colony are points 
upon which full information is desirable. In April a good colony 
located in a central latitude ought to have brood in five or six combs; 
yet as ordinarily wintered it will be difficult to find colonies having 
at this time more than three or four combs containing brood. The 
combs should be straight, so that if in an old-fashioned box hive they 
can be cut out and fitted without great waste into frames, and if the 
hive is a frame one it is absolutely necessary to have combs straight 
and built wholly within the frames in order that the latter may be read- 
ily removed and returned to the hive. The less drone comb the better. 
There will always be enough, an area half the size of a man's hand 
being quite sufficient for each hive. The larger size of the drone cells 
and greater thickness of the combs (1^ inches) will make it readily recog- 
nizable. If over one-eighth of the surface is drone comb the colony 
should be rejected. If the combs are so old as to be nearly black and 
to show cell walls much thickened they are very objectionable. There 
should be several pounds of sealed honey in each hive in early spring. 
Other things being equal, those stocks which come through the winter 
with 20 pounds or so of sealed honey in the combs will develop much 
faster than those having just enough to last them until they gather 
fresh honey rapidly enough to supply their daily needs. The presence 
of an abundance gives the bees courage. They do not fear to draw upon 
their stores to supply the young that are fast developing. The combs 
filled with honey part with their heat only slowly when the outside tem- 
perature falls, and there is thus less danger of a check in the develop- 
ment of the brood through too low temperature in the hive. 
