272 COLONIZING. 



But if the colony is found to be weak, choose two 

 combs with mature brood instead of eggs and young 

 brood. From six to ten days after this last change, 

 the colony will be found to have a fertile queen, f or 

 if the first embryo queen has failed, sealed queens 

 will be found in the combs. If found to have a fer- 

 tile queen, the organization is complete, and all that 

 is wanted afterwards is to add empty frames or suit- 

 able combs, and see that the combs are built straight. 

 Colonies formed and left in the same apiary do not 

 work much for the first week ; this is owing to the 

 fact that the bees are too young to go forth to labor 

 in the fields. As there is but little labor to be per- 

 formed in the hive, all that is wanted is to maintain 

 the animal heat to develop the brood. On the sixth 

 day, when the combs are exchanged as directed, they 

 will have commenced work. Receiving young brood 

 at this time stimulates them, and gives them profita- 

 ble employment. And having a young queen, before 

 they commence comb building, (which they do about 

 this time) they build worker cells, most of which are 

 supplied with eggs as soon as the queen becomes fer- 

 tile. 



ference of half a generation's increase. And still another advan- 

 tage gained by interchanging, is the keeping the bees in the col- 

 ony as profitably employed in maturing the brood as if they were 

 in possession of a fertile queen. 



fTwenty-three days (counting from the time the egg is laid) is 

 the shortest time, and thirty is the extreme limit for a queen to 

 become fertile. 



