396 ITALIAN HONEY BEE. 







After the queens become fairly established, with 

 both worker and drone brood sealed up, with the 

 season and pasturage favorable, proceed to make 

 primary divides, and form queen nurseries from the 

 two Italian hives at the same time, as directed in 

 Chapter xvn. 



When the queen cells are sufficiently advanced to 

 be used in supplying to colonies, bees and comb are 

 to be selected from common hives in the usual man- 

 ner, except that no drones or drone brood are to be 

 taken from them, but in their stead, drones and drone 

 brood are to be taken from one Italian hive and put 

 with the embryo queens taken from the other, making 

 the exchange mutual. 



All the colonies supplied with embryo queens taken 

 from one hive and drones from the other, are. to be 

 immediately transported to one place, which should 

 be at least five miles from all common bees, as before 

 directed, while all the colonies formed reversely are 

 to be taken to a different place. By this method 

 breeding in-and-in is prevented, and at the same time 

 the breed is kept pure. 



As fast as the queens become fertile, they are to 

 be taken from the small colonies and supplied to full 

 hives, and the colonies again used to perfect other, 

 queens in like manner. Thus a stock, no odds how 

 extensive, may be quickly and surely Italianized. 



It will, however, be necessary to Italianize all the 

 bees of a neighborhood, to prevent them crossing 

 with the common bee. 



