66 
chapman's handy-booic. 
summer, the mildness of the winter, the greater conse¬ 
quent increase of the bees; these, and many other 
things, require so very different treatment in the colony, 
that we consider ourselves justified in assisting to clevel- 
ope this very important branch of colonial industry. 
We will conclude with a few hints that we have not 
been able to find a place for previous to this. The Brood * 
Combs are generally in the centre of the hive ; therefore, 
in cutting out comb, take the outside if you require 
honey; but if you want to prevent swarming , cut out 
early in the season the brood combs containing the royal 
cells. Young broods are hatched in strong healthy hives 
throughout the year, but less about July (mid-winter) 
than at any other season. Honey is gathered in mild 
weather in this country throughout the year. In April, 
if the hives are small and the first or virgin swarms 
strong, two or three of the side combs may be taken out , 
and even where the hives are heavy with store honey the 
bees may be driven into new boxes, giving the bees back 
the inferior or dark combs to clean, as by feeding in this 
manner the above operations may be delayed as late as 
July. Bees swarm much earlier if there is too much heat 
or too little room in the hive. Rev. E. Taylor says that 
bees work all the year and make two kinds of honey —the 
spring or summer honey is liquid, the autumn or winter 
honey is solid and completely crystalised. In building 
the combs the bee begins at the top of the hive and works 
downward. The sting of the bee is barbed, and is always 
left in the wound, therefore instantly pull it out without 
breaking it and suck the poison from the wound ; a key 
pressed on the spot will stop the pain and inflammation, 
or hartshorn rubbed on the place, but perhaps the best 
cure is a little honey; this keeps the air out and is 
always handy. A stock is a hive of bees at the end of 
the swarming season, or a hive that has sent out one or 
more swarms, it being the stock left in the parent hive. 
Swarms are those recently hived who have themselves 
not yet thrown out swarms. 
After two years’ patient observation M. Duchemin has 
discovered the source of the parasite which attacks bees. 
He has found the parasite on the flowers of Helianthus 
