368 
BEES AND BEE-KEEPING. 
pit,” and, when all are dead, the combs are removed, 
the honey drained out, and the combs “ rendered ” 
into wax. The dead bees in the cells are an impedi- 
ment to the cottager, and so he is willing to give, 
or sell for sixpence, or at most a shilling, per sleep, 
the “ condemned,” upon condition that they are driven 
(see Driving, page 233), and the skep, with its comb, 
returned to him. He loses nothing, and is saved the 
duties of the executioner. 
The population of three, or even four, sleeps, put 
together, then transferred to an empty hive, and 
allowed six frames furnished with guides, and fed 
until 2olbs. or 25lbs. is reached, will usually make an 
excellent stock in the following spring, as no drone- 
comb will be built. In driving, care should be taken 
to secure the best queen ; e.g., take first a cast of the 
year, or a stock that has thrown a swarm, and let 
the queen run up, for she is young; then into the 
same skep drive swarms catching the queens, that 
must have been laying two seasons at least. The poor 
folk from whom these bees come are, unfortunately, 
too little instructed to see that their skeps no longer 
gain honey when income drops as low as expenditure, 
which is frequently some time before gathering actually 
ceases. They, in consequence, defer taking up until 
so late that this plan cannot be satisfactorily carried 
out, although I have had condemned bees do ex- 
cellently which were not hived till the last week 
in September.* In an apiary in going order, combs 
* Where heather abounds, the honey harv-est closes so late, and so 
abruptly, that condemned bees cannot well be built up unless aided by 
stored combs. 
