58 
“ novice’s ” oleanings in bee culture. 
may be, having it torn down, we would in- 
sert it in place o(’ some one that the bees 
have started during the two days. For a 
simple mark to designate which hives we 
have made qucenless we slip a grape leal 
partly under the cover of the hive and 
the leaf is left there until the young 
queens arc found to he laying, which we 
lind to he in Irom six to twelve days after 
insertion of the cell. It may be objected 
that much time is lost in keeping a colony 
queenless thus long, but it is at a season 
of the year when more brood is generally 
of little account and the time is not 
greater, many times, than would he con- 
sumed in introducing a queen, besides, 
our cells are built and queens are hatch- 
ed in full colonies, points which although 
they may not he absolutely necessary at 
all times, are certainly safe for“Novices.” 
1 f your object be increase of stock, hav- 
ing queens already good, proceed for cells 
as before. Have your new hives, trellises, 
sawdust, etc., arranged before hand and 
in place of removing queens lake two 
combs, one of honey and one of brood 
hatching out, from each colony that can 
spare a swarm, put these with all adher- 
ing bees (hut not the old queen) into the 
new hive and cover the top and sides ot 
these combs with the quilt, insert colls as 
belore and when the young queens are 
laying give them combs enough (without 
bees) from any old colonies to fill out the 
hive. These combs should be mostly 
brood combs, and thus we shall have full 
colonies tit once equal to any of the old 
ones, and indeed, if the season continue, 
in a few days these new colonies can 
spare a comb or two for other new ones, 
but we should avoid having frames only 
partly filled in the hives for wintering. 
Kemember if we are going to try and 
winter all colonies without loss, they must 
be all good so far as combs and bees arc 
concerned and most of all, a good queen. 
No matter about the honey so they don't 
starve before .September for we wish to 
take it till away then. 
Above all things don’t let robbers have 
any hand in the business, whenever they 
get very bad you had better stop. ‘'Nov- 
ice'' says you had better stop whenever 
they get so bad that a bee veil is neces- 
:ary, but “I’, (1.” doesn’t quite agree to 
that, yet she is getting a “way.” this season 
of working about among the bees without 
any covering at all for the head, and with 
apparently I he greatest u neoncern. Even 
a “sting in the mouth ’ isn’t the “terrible 
allair” now, that it used to be, and the 
swelling instead of lasting two or three 
days now lasts but a few hours. 
l!y the way, dear readers, we will im- 
part a great secret if you’ll promise 
never to t II any one else, for it is worth 
a great many dollars (more or less). Tis 
a perfect preventive of robbers and you 
may open hives, leave them open, leave 
combs all around the apiary, and be as 
free from annoyance as if on a desert 
and “navy” bee to bother. If it don’t do 
all we claim, money will be refunded. 
This is for our unfortunate friends who 
don’t have fall pasturage. Well! Ahem! 
Extract the honey or whatever other 
work you may wish during warm, moon- 
light evenings. You will need to use 
considerable smoke to subdue the bees at 
first, and you will have to be careful ol 
you lamp or lantern if you use one. 
Unless you arc hunting queens, etc., you 
can learn to do very well by “moonlight 
alone. ”(We mean "only," “’tain t good " 
to be “alone.” ) 
1 J . S. — Mrs. “N.” says if she is expect- 
ed to be assistant, she prefers some other 
“post.” than holding the lamp.” 
P. S. No. 2. — We would advise all who 
feel disposed, to try the queen nurseries, 
butcan only add that our opinion remains 
unchanged, viz: that to rear the best 
queens we would prefer that they have 
the full run of the hive as soon as hatch- 
ed. Unfertile queens, wo are inclined to 
think, would be of as little use to “Nov- 
ices” as they are to strange bees, and we 
have found them very uncertain property, 
to say the least. We have succeeded well 
in making new colonies, as follows: Cut 
out your cells and place them in the 
nursery, with bees or without, it don’t 
matter. A lot of queens cages fastened 
or suspended in a frame make a nursery ; 
if pasturage is not abundant, some pro- 
vision should be made in one end of the 
cage for the queen to feed herself. Hang 
the frame, cages, cells and all in the mid- 
dle of a populous colony; remove the 
empty cells as soon as the queen is 
hatched to give her more room, and as 
soon as you can thereafter, release her 
among the bees on one of the frames ol 
comb removed from the hive. Place tbit 
comb, bees, queen and all, between two 
combs of hatching brood from other 
hives, in a new hive and on a new stand. 
When she lays, lill up as before. You 
thus save some time and are not obliged 
to make yOur swarm until your queens 
are hatched and approved of. If you 
have more than ten or dozen cells a large 
colony will be required to give bees 
enough to each queen. It may not in- 
jure young queens to be kept caged sever- 
al days, yet we do not feel satisfied that 
such a course is advisable. 
If your income from bees has been 
small, make ypur expenses in that direc- 
tion correspondingly so. Many times ’tis 
hard to come down to rigid economy, but 
it generally “does a body good" after all 
’Tis very bad economy to feed bees all 
winter and then have them die. Eel us 
all resolve to attempt to winter no more 
stocks than we can probably take through. 
If all are now agreed that sugar for winter 
is as safe as honey, nothing will be lost 
but our time, in giving it a further trial, 
for the honey sells for the most. 
