REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST 197 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



little more surplus than No. 1, it would not be fair to rate No. 2 as better than No. 1. 

 The matter of swarming also comes in. A colony that has cast no swarm throughout 

 the season, will be expected to store more surplus than either the swarm or the mother 

 colony, generally it will store more than both together. Nearly always, however, it 

 will be found that the bees that do the most work, are the least given to swarming; so, 

 tlie swarming of a colony counts against it in making out its character. 



In the ordinary course of management, where bees are left to their own way, and 

 all the increase is through natural swarming, there will, of course, be the most in- 

 crease from the colonies most given to swarming, which means that the general char- 

 acter of the Apiary will run toward swarming rather than storing. We want, how- 

 ever, to have the tendency not to swarm. There is a way in which a good deal can 

 be done in the way of improvement, even by those most skilled in the management 

 of bees. 



Having decided which one, or two, or three, are the best colonies you have, watch 

 for the first one that swarms. Suppose Nos. 1, 2 and 3 are your best, that No. 4 is the 

 next strongest, and the rest follow in the order of their strength, 5, 6, &c. Suppose 

 No. 2 swarms ; hive the swarm and put it on the stand of No. 2. At the same time, 

 put the old No. 2 in place of No. 4, and put No. 4 in a new place. All the field bees 

 that were in No. 2 will join the swarm, making it good for work. The old No. 2 (now 

 No. 4) will thus be deprived of its field bees, but on the other hand it will get all the 

 field bees that belonged to old N<o. 4. In about eight days No. 2 will have a young 

 queen matured, and will send out a swarm. You will now proceed much as you did 

 before. Hive the swarm and put it in the place of No. 2, and put No. 2 in place of 

 No. 5, putting No. 5 in a new place. The field bees of old No. 5 will strengthen No. 

 2, now on No. 5 stand, and in a day or two it will send out another swarm. Proceed 

 as before, putting No. 2 in place of No. G, and so on as long as swarms issue. In 

 Ibis way you have, perhaps, no swarms from old Nos. 4, 5, &c., but in their place you 

 have swarms from No. 2, all of them having queens of your best stock. When No. 

 1 swarms, or No. 3, you can treat them the same way. 



Thore is, of course, the possibility that No. 1 or 2 may not be among the first to 

 swarm. Take frames of sealed brood from colonies that you do not want to swarm, 

 and give them to one of your best colonies, while delaying the swarming of those 

 from which the brood was taken. Of course, when you take these frames of sealed 

 brood, you will merely exchange them for frames that have little or no sealed brood 

 in them. 



QUEEN REARIXG. 



Rearing queens has become a regular trade, and some bee-keepers make a busi- 

 ness of shipping queens by mail to those who wish to purchase. Although it may 

 not be desirable for the fanner with only a few colonies to go into the subject fully, 

 he should know enough about it to rear the queens at times, for his own accommoda- 

 tion. 



When a colony prepares for swarming, a number of queen-cells are started, six, 

 eight, ten, possibly many more. As soon as the first one 'of these is sealed, the colony 

 is likely to throw off a prime swarm. Six or seven days after this swarm has issued, 

 the mother colony may divide up into two or more parts, each part being called a 

 nucleus, the word ' nucleus ' merely meaning a very small colony. You will generally 

 have enough queen-cells in each nucleus without any attention on your part, but not 

 always. Sometimes you will find a large number of queen cells on one comb, and 

 some combs without any. So, it might happen that if you give the matter no atten- 

 tion you might have a nucleus without any queen cell. 



Another thing must be considered. A large proportion of the queen cells are 

 built on the lower or outer edges of the combs. If these were left in the old colony 

 without dividing, they might be all right; but when these combs are used as nuclei. 



