FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 191 



desirable. There is also another important reason for 

 allowing every colony willing to do so to go through 

 the whole season without any preparation for swarming 

 and without any interference. I am trying all the time 

 to work at least a little toward a non-swarming strain 

 of bees, and if all colonies were treated in advance 

 how world I know which were the non-s warmers from 

 which to choose my breeding stock? Their careful rec- 

 ord mrst be kept. 



EMPTY FRAMES USED. 



Some time later a little change was made so as 

 to make the queen better satisfied with her ne^^- quarters. 

 Instead of putting foundation under the excluder, a 

 brood-frame is put there, at one side. It is preferably 

 one with very little brood in it, the object being merely 

 to hold the queen in the hive, but not to encourage her 

 to do much in the way of laying. As a farther dis- 

 couragement to laying and comb-building no other comb 

 is put in the hive, nor even the least starter of founda- 

 tion. Two or three other frames entirely empty are 

 placed beside the brood-comb. No dummy is needed. 

 You might expect that the bees very promptly fill with 

 comb one or more of these empty frames. They don't. 

 At the end of a week or ten days you may find one 

 frame half fillled, with a very little comb in the second ; 

 perhaps only a little comb in the one frame. 



As to the rest, of course the proceeding is just the 

 same as when foundation was used. ^ 



DESTROYING QUEEN-CELLS TO PREVENT SWARMING. 



Among the first things a beginner thinks he has 

 learned is that destroying queen-cells will prevent swarm- 

 ire. ?rd tl-en he is sorelv disappointed to find that he is 

 mistaken about it. But I must confess that I have a good 

 denl more faith in it than I formerlv had. Not that 



