FAEMEKS' INSTITUTES. 187 



should have a rack hive, which need not necessarily be expensive, but should be 

 convenient. 



A simple box-hive, made in a manner that racks for the comb may be placed 

 and removed easily, is all that is required. If it is desired to receive the surplus 

 honey in boxes, the hive sliould be made two-story, the upper story large enough 

 to receive the boxes. 



Tlien little attention need be given the bees until the time for swarming 

 arrives, except to feed them sparingly on sugar or syrup if the season be back- 

 ward, sufficient only for the present wants of the bees, especially if tlie extractor 

 is intended to be used during the season. For if the comb is filled with syrup 

 made from sugar, you are sure to get some of it back when you extract, which, 

 if it is designed for the market, would hardly be the fair thing, and bring your 

 apiary into disrepute and injure future prospects in the market. 



As soon as the bees commence to collect honey in quantity, or as soon as the 

 flowers that produce honey appear, place boxes in position. Some prefer to 

 wait until after the first swarm ; but this is a mistaken idea, because often much 

 honey is made before swarming, and gathering honey does not detain swarming. 



Some time in the month of June, in this latitude, swarming will take place, 

 unless the apiarist lias previously made an artificial division of colonies. It is 

 better for the inexperienced bee-keeper to swarm in the natural way. 



During the swarming period the apiary must be regarded with watchful care, 

 especially if bees have been clustering at the entrance of the hive. 



After leaving the hive and flying about in the air for a time, they generally 

 cluster on a bush or a limb of a tree in the vicinity. Now is an exciting time if 

 the bee-keeper is a novice in the business. It might be well for him to protect 

 his face with a veil or a piece of mosquito netting. As soon as the bees have 

 become settled, take the hive prepared for the occasion, place it on a platform 

 made of planed boards, place all on the ground directly beneath the bees ; or, 

 if they are high enough from the ground, place the hive ou a couple of saw 

 benches ; raise the front of the hive a little, draw the cluster of bees as near 

 the entrance as possible, give it a sharp, quick shake, and the bees are at the 

 entrance ; with a little green bush gently crowd them toward the hive, and 

 soon, if properly managed, the bees will all be in the hive ; then remove the 

 hive to the place you wish it to occupy. Should the new colony manifest a 

 desire to leave, place a frame of worker comb in the center of the hive, and it 

 will be a rare thing if the swarm leaves it. 



Now the old colony requires attention. It will be queenless several days 

 unless a new one is given them, as is practiced by skillful and experienced apiar- 

 ists. But an amateur bee-keeper will cut out all the queen cells but one, the 

 object of which is to prevent after-swarming, which is not desirable or profitable. 



After the lapse of twelve or fourteen days, again inspect your old colony, for 

 it sometimes happens that the young queen while abroad meets with an accident 

 and fails to return. In this case another queen must be supplied by inserting 

 another queen cell with an embryo queen, making room for it near the center 

 of the hive. 



But if there are no extra queen ceils, then in brief a worker must be pro- 

 moted to the dignity of a queen. It is thought an embryo worker may be 

 developed into a queen by a change of position of the cell of the -worker. 



Now, in order to provide a queenless colony with a queen under diffieulties 

 heretofore described, all we have to do is to take a piece of worker comb, with 

 fresh laid eggs in, from a hive that has a fertilized queen, attach one of these 



