112 INCREASE 



The first had no brood, but the field bees would shortly return to 

 make a broodless colony. Xo. 2 had no queen but would get the 

 field force of Xo. 3, which had been moved to a new location 

 and would require some time to recuperate. Seven colonies still 

 remained which had not been touched. Each of these was exam- 

 ined, and wherever possible to spare a frame of brood it was 

 taken away and given to Xo. 1, wdiich had no brood. To begin 

 with, he found only four frames, but this was given to the colony 

 which had been robbed of its brood, being set on the top in a new 

 hive body. 



At the end of nine days a second visit was made. This time 

 Xo. 2, which had brood but no queen, w^as divided into two parts, 

 as by this time queen cells were present. The two nuclei were 

 set in new locations and the brood and bees again taken from 

 Xo. 1 and placed where Xo. 2 had been. The other seven colon- 

 ies were again visited and such brood as they could spare was 

 taken from them and given to Xo. 1. This plan was continued 

 through the season, always leaving the queen at Xo. 1, so that 

 the queen cells built on the combs in Xo. 2 were the offspring of 

 the best queen. Xo. 2 did not at any time have any queen but 

 was constantly building new cells and the other seven colonies 

 were constantly (every nine days) drawn on for brood to replen- 

 ish Xo. 1. In this way the colonies were at no time gi-eatly 

 weakened, excepting the nuclei made from Xo. 2. This is a very 

 good plan of making rapid increase and at the same time a safe 

 one, for if conditions suddenly become unfavorable the operator 

 wall not find himself with a large number of very w-eak colonies 

 on hand, which must be united or fed. 



IXTRODUCIXG QUEEXS 



In making increase artificially by any plan an extra queen 

 will be required to supply each new^ hive. If capped queen 

 cells are given, the bees are likely to realize their queenless con- 

 dition before the young queen emerges, so that she should be 

 accepted without difficulty. This is a very common plan of pro- 



