A Duty
Categories:
ROBBERIES.
Bee Keeping:
Mysteries Of Bee-keeping Explained
It is the duty of every bee-keeper, who expects to succeed, to know
which his weak stocks are; an examination some cool morning, can be
made by turning the hive bottom up, and letting the sun among the
combs. The number of inhabitants in them is easily seen. When weak,
close the entrance, till there is just room for one bee to pass at
once. The first real pleasant days, at any time before honey is
obtained plentifully,
a little after noon, look out for them to
commence robbing. Whenever a weak stock is taken with what appears to
be a fit of unusual industry, it is quite certain they are either
robbers or young bees; the difficulty is to decide which. Their motions
are alike, but there is a little difference in color--the young bees
are a shade lighter; the abdomen of the robbers, when filled with
honey, is a little larger. It requires close, patient observation, to
decide this point, and when you have watched close enough to detect
this difference, you can decide without trouble.