108 INCREASE 



The field force will be about equally divided between the two 

 hives. The one in which the old queen remains will build up 

 much more rapidly than the colony that must rear a new one. 

 While this plan may serve in an emergency, it is not to be recom- 

 mended for general practice, as are none of the plans of increas- 

 ing without additional queens, as too much time and energy is 

 lost on the part of the colony in replacing the queen. If the 

 honey crop is not to be considered, and increase alone is desired, 

 then tliese plans might be permissible, but even for this purpose 

 so much greater results can be obtained by rearing the queens in 

 advance that it is the best practice. 



Forming Nuclei. — When it is desirable to make increase in 

 quantity, the best plan, perhaps, is to break up strong colonies 

 for the purpose, and make as many divisions as possible without 

 hope of their gathering any surplus honey. In this way rapid 

 increase may be made with fairly satisfactory results. 



To begin with, take the queen and one frame of brood from 

 a strong colony, and add another frame of sealed brood from 

 another colony, to give her enough bees with which to start house- 

 keeping. Place her with the frames in a new hive in a new 

 location, and shut the hive tight with grass to prevent her bees 

 from returning to their old stand. If the weather is extremely 

 hot there is danger of smothering, and in that case the bees can 

 be placed in the cellar instead. At the end of two or three days 

 if the bees have not gnawed out, the grass may be removed in the 

 evening, after the bees have stopped flying (Fig. 55). 



After the queen is removed the old hive should not be dis- 

 turbed for several days. At the end of ten days the young brood 

 will all be sealed, so there is a minimum of danger of loss of 

 young bees. A number of ripe queen cells will also be present 

 in the hive. If there are six frames of brood, it may be divided 

 into three parts, placing two frames of brood in each hive. Care 

 should be used to see that each hive contains at least one good 

 queen cell. Empty frames may be added and the hives placed 

 in the cellar or closed up tight with grass as before for two or 



