96 COMB HONEY. 
‘entirely, or (2) being balked in their desire to swarm or from lack of 
convenient storage space, etc., they may do very poor work even dur- 
ing a good honey flow simply because the conditions of the colony are 
such that the storing instinct is not dominant. To bring about the 
best results in comb honey, the entire working force of each colony must 
be kept undivided and the means employed in doing so must be such 
that the storing instinct remains dominant throughout any given honey 
flow. Any increase made before or during the flow * is made at the 
expense of the surplus honey unless it be made with brood that 
would emerge too late for the young bees to be of use during the honey 
flow (p. 31). In general, however, increase may be made at much 
less expense by setting aside some of the colonies for that purpose. 
To keep the forces together and satisfied, with the storing instinct 
dominant during a good flow, is the most difficult problem with which 
the producer of comb honey must deal. 
Swarming. 
All colonies do not behave alike as to swarming. (1) There are 
certain colonies that go through the season with apparently no 
thought of swarming. Such colonies do the very best work in the 
supers, and their number can be increased by skillful management. 
(2) Other colonies start queen cells preparatory to swarming, but can 
be persuaded to give it up by such mild measures as destroying the 
queen cells and perhaps removing a few frames of brood. (3) Cer- 
tain colonies are determined to swarm and, unless the flow ceases, 
nothing short of swarming or some radical manipulation will satisfy 
them. (4) A certain percentage of queens fail during the honey flow 
and swarming may occur in connection with the-supersedure. Such 
colonies usually do very poor work in comb-honey supers. 
The beekeeper can do much (1) toward increasing the percentage 
in the first group and discouraging those of the second—preventive 
measures, and (2) toward making the most of the colonies under the 
third and fourth groups—control measures. 
PREVENTIVE MEASURES. 
Some effort has been made toward the final elimination of swarm- 
ing by breeding from colonies showing the least disposition to swarm. 
Although after years of selection bees continue to swarm when con- 
ditions are favorable, many practical beekeepers testify to having 
greatly reduced the percentage of swarming colonies by years of care- 
ful selection and breeding. It would certainly’ seem advisable to 
1TJn localities where the main honey flow is so late that colonies may be divided long enough before the 
flow so that both colonies may be built up to proper strength in time to take advantage of it, of course 
increase previous to the flow would be advisable. This condition is rare in comb-honey localities. 
503 
