88 
and plump pellets of bee-bread, while other colonies 
are very industrious, the bee-keeper may reasonably 
suspect that that colony is queenless. Examine the lit- 
ter on the bottom board or in front of the entrance for 
eggs or a few immature bees, if either are found it 
shows that the hive has a fertile queen ; if, however, 
neither eggs nor imperfect bees are found, and the bees 
are in the common hive, turn it upside down and look 
between the combs for brood ; if not seen at first, drive 
the bees back with smoke and break out a piece of 
comb from near the centre of the hive, and if it con- 
tains brood in worker-cells, the suspicion that the col- 
ony is queenless can be at once dismissed ; be sure, 
however, that the brood is that of a fertile queen in- 
stead of a fertile worker. (See “ Brood.”) 
If the loss of the queen is detected either in early 
spring or late in the fall, when no drones are present, 
aud a fertile queen cannot be given them, it would be 
useless to provide them with brood to rear a queen, as 
such a queen could not be fecundated, and would re- 
main barren. To save the bees, unite them with an- 
other colony, and preserve the combs. (See “ Combs.”) 
HOW TO UNITE TWO OR MORE COLONIES OR 
SWARMS. 
A large cluster of bees is able to maintain the proper 
degree of warmth in cold weather, better than when 
