282 Beekeeping 



be removed before the queen is returned or swarming may 

 occur. These methods are employed only on colonies that 

 have made active preparations to swarm (having advanced 

 larvae in the queen cells) and they are successful as a rule, if 

 the swarming period is not prolonged sufficiently to allow 

 time for the swarming tendency to be developed anew. The 

 particular time for making colonies queenless must be deter- 

 mined by the stage in the development of the queen cells 

 present in the colony preparing to swarm. If only young 

 larvae are found in the queen cells, the cells may simply be 

 cut out as a precautionary measure against swarming, but if 

 the queen cells are advanced, their removal will not prevent 

 swarming and the colony should be dequeened. However, 

 a colony with the queen temporarily removed or even sepa- 

 rated from the brood is often not in the best condition for 

 storing, especially when first made queenless, and these 

 methods have sometimes been condemned because of this 

 fact. Dequeening is to be preferred in obvious cases of 

 supersedure or in colonies in which the working force is not 

 large, but which still persist in preparing to swarm. 



Requeening combined with dequeening. 



Requeening is desirable whenever a queen is unable to 

 keep up the population of the colony, and many beekeepers 

 find it advantageous systematically to requeen every two 

 years. The presence of a young queen was mentioned earlier 

 as a preventive of swarming, but this is not a guarantee that 



needed ("Put-up Plan," C. C. Miller). Another modification which 

 followed this is described above, in which the queen is put below an ex- 

 cluder on one frame of brood and empty combs. Numerous beekeepers 

 have advised requeening in connection with the dequeening,. others have 

 modified the plan by making the lower hive into a nucleus for queen rear- 

 ing, while in one case it is recommended that a nucleus be established on 

 the side of the hive in which the queen is mated, so arranged that by pull- 

 ing a slide of perforated zinc, the queen is introduced to the colony after 

 mating. These various systems are mentioned here mainly to show their 

 relation to the fundamental principle of restricting egg-laying and also 

 to suggest the various methods so that the beekeeper may choose the one 

 best suited to his plans. 



