THE BEK. 
291 
young bees cast gradually fill up the cells until they are too small for 
breeding in; in consequence the hives get weaker and weaker; swarm- 
ing cannot take place, and at last the bees die. 
To prevent this fatal end, you may in spring, before breeding-time 
commences, after fumigating the bees a little, turn up the hive and cut 
out half the comb ; put the bees in again, and during the summer 
they will fill up the vacancy, and have room for breeding. Next spring 
take out the remainder of the old comb in the same way. One stock 
treated in this manner is said to have been kept for the long period of 
sixty years. Sometimes, when a stock has not swarmed, it is desirable 
to remove the bees altogether from the old hive into a new one. This 
must only be done during the first week in July ; if attempted earlier, 
the new brood not being all hatched, many bee-grubs would be de- 
stroyed, and you would have a weak stock. On the other hand, if 
transferred later, there would not be time for them to make their comb 
and lay up winter store. Fumigate or intoxicate the bees at night, and 
put them while stupefied into a new hive, taking care that the queen is 
among them ; place the hive on the stand in the same position the old 
one occupied, and on the morrow they will commence their labor as a 
new swarm. If the weather be fine, they will do well ; but if they are 
fouud to be weak in autumn, take them up and unite them with another 
stock. 
September is tile proper time for carefully inspecting your stocks, to 
ascertain which will stand the winter, for feeding those which have not 
sufficient food, and for uniting weak stocks to strong ones, as previously 
recommended. 
By gently striking the hives, you may judge whether they contain 
many or few bees, from the greater or lesser noise they make in the 
buzzing which immediately follows. Do not leave any to remain for the 
winter but such as weigh about twenty pounds.* But recollect that a 
hive with two thousand bees will be more likely to survive than one 
with only one thousand, even if the latter have much more honey. On 
this account it is important to ascertain the number of bees, and to make 
your standing stocks as strong as possible, to maintain sufficient heat in 
the hives. 
FALL FEEDING. — Whatever food is required must be given now, as bees 
should not on any account be fed in winter. Those who have not the 
convenience of the feeding-pans for the top of the hive, should provide 
little hollow troughs made of elder, or a split bamboo stopped at the 
ends. These must be filled with honey or syrup, and then pushed into 
the mouth of the hive at sunset, the entrauce being carefully closed, to 
prevent other bees from entering. Feeding should not take place in the 
daytime, as the hive will then be subject to the depredations of wasps 
and robber-bees which are attracted by the scent, and not unfrequently 
devour the whole of the honey. In the morning, a little before sunrise, 
remove the troughs. Continue this operation nightly until you are sure 
* Age will cause hives to weigh heavier than their legitimate contents would call 
for; this is occasioned by an accumulation of bee-bread and the cast sloughs which 
had formerly served as envelopes to the young. Iu the case of old hives, you must, 
therefore, allow from two to five pounds, according to ago, for these matters. 
