HIVES. 
23 
have any young bees of the proper age from which to 
1 aise a queen ; if not, and the old queen is in the part 
" ikh 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 I why I said there was plenty oi 
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 1” 
CAUSE OF STARVING IN SUCH HIVES. 
I said one apartment would be filled with brood- 
combs; this will be 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 
be as certain as starvation. Without frequent inter- 
vals of warm weather to melt all frost on the combs, 
