HIVES. 
23 
have any young bees of the proper age from which to 
raise a queen; if not, and the old queen is in the part 
with the brood-comb, where she will be ninety-nine 
times in a hundred, one half of the hive is lost for 
want of a queen. 
Mr. A. — “ Ah ! I think I now understand how I 
lost one-half of nearly every hive I divided. I 
also lost some of them in the winter ; there was plenty 
of bees as well as honey ; can you tell the cause of 
this?” 
I will guess that they starved. 
Mr. A. — “ Starved ! why I said there was plenty of 
honey.” 
i understood it, but nevertheless feel quite sure. 
Mr. A. — “ I would like to see that made plain ; I 
can’t understand how they could starve when there was 
honey I” 
CAUSE OF STAHVINO IN SUCH HIVES. 
I said one apartment would be filled with brood- 
combs; this will bo occupied, at least partially, with 
brood as long as the yield of honey lasts ; consequent* 
ly, there will be but little room for storing here, but 
the other side may be full throughout. The bees will 
take up their winter quarters among the brood-combs. 
Now suppose the honey in this apartment is all ex- 
hausted during a severe turn of cold weather, what 
can the bees do? If one should leave the mass and 
go among the frosty combs for a supply, its fate would 
bo ns oertain as starvation, Without frequent inter 
vals of warm weather to melt all frost on the combs, 
