THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



45 



capped brood. They are then to be carried to 

 some place in the garden where they can re- 

 main undisturbed during the summer. But 

 they must not be set in close proximity to other 

 populous stocks, nor too near each other, or the 

 young queens may go astray when returning 

 from their wedding flights and be destroyed. 

 As to the time of removal, there is a difference 

 of opinion. Some think they should be kept in 

 the cellar or in the dark not longer than from 

 three to six days, that the emerged queens may 

 have an early opportunity to make their excur- 

 sions, and the bees begin to work. But these 

 reasons are of little weight. How many queens 

 reared in populous colonies are prevented for 

 days from flying, by unfavorable weather ; and 

 an early fertilization of these reserve queens is 

 of far less importance. It is much better that a 

 large number of workers have emerged pre- 

 vious to removal, and it is hence early enough 

 to bring them out on the ninth day, or on the 

 18th of May. They will then be more popu- 

 lous and thrive better. But if the weather be 

 bad on the 18th, better let them remain in the 

 dark till a change takes place. 



At last we have them in the open air. Now 

 each nucleus is to be carefully inspected. If 

 in any the bees have failed to raise a queen, we 

 we introduce immediately a comb of suitable 

 brood, with all the adhering bees, from one of 

 the most populous stocks in the apiary, that it 

 may make up for lost time with all speed ; or 

 we give it a sealed queen cell, if we happen to 

 have one in some old colony. 



The young queens will be fertilized in due 

 course. As soon as one of them begins to lay, 

 she may be used as a reserve queen ; but it is 

 by no means necessary that she should be thus 

 disposed of at once. It is better to allow each one 

 time enough to deposit eggs plentifully before 

 she is removed. We can then form some opin- 

 ion as to her quality and prolificness, from the 

 more or less compact arrangement of the brood 

 in the combs, and the quantity of eggs she lays 

 in a given time. This also saves us seme fur- 

 ther trouble, for if the young queen be removed 

 when she has laid only a few eggs, we shall 

 have to insert another brood comb, or the nu- 

 cleus will become too much depopulated. 



As soon as the young queen is removed from 

 a nucleus, the bees proceed to rear a successor. 

 This imposes the necessity of careful watching, 

 to be certain that this successor becomes fertile 

 in due time and lays worker eggs. Each suc- 

 cessive removal will be followed^in like manner 

 by renewed queen-raising, if the young queen 

 laid eggs before leaving. If sealed queen cells 

 are at command on such occasions, they can be 

 used with advantage. 



If there be any interruption in this business — if 

 the bees, for instance, neglect to start queen 

 cells in any case, or prematurely destroy those 

 that have been started ; or if a young queen be 

 lost on her wedding flight; the bee-keeper must 

 act promptly, by inserting a comb of brood from 

 some other hive. 



Of course supernumerary sealed queen cells 

 will occasionally be found in some of the nu- 

 cleus hives, under this management. These 

 must not be permitted to hatch, or a very un- 



desirable swarm might issue. If there be no 

 good opportunity to use them elsewhere, the 

 cells should be destroyed. 



If a nucleus has been repeatedly deprived of 

 its queen, or has failed to rear one, it will be- 

 come much depopulated, and should be rein- 

 forced by introducing a brood comb with its 

 adhering bees; and as the season advances 

 combs with seahd brood will be more abundant 

 in the old hives. The nuclei must never be al- 

 lowed to suffer from want of food — for which 

 purpose, at this season, sugar candy dissolved, 

 or sugar syrup diluted, is preferable to pure 

 honey. If a queen remains a long time in the 

 nucleus after she begins to lay, the little hive 

 may become over populous. In such case a 

 portion of the bees and brood may be used to 

 strengthen weaker nuclei or other stocks ; or a 

 new nucleus may be formed, as before descri- 

 bed. But if we are satisfied that we have alrea- 

 dy more reserve queens than we are likely to 

 need, such a populous nucleus may be transfer- 

 red to a large hive and built up to a strong col- 

 ony by giving it brood and bees from other 

 stocks, or by transposing it with some popu- 

 lous colouy. 



By these means we shall always have a sup- 

 ply of fertile reserve queens at disposal, from 

 the first of June onward. In districts with very 

 early pasturage, an earlier commencement may 

 be made ; but I would caution against begin- 

 ning anywhere, till some of the old stocks that 

 have been wintered contain capped drone- 

 brood. 



Well, now, suppose that, in the course of the 

 summer, we have effected the desired increase 

 of colonies, and all of them have fertile queens, 

 we still have the nuclei on hand, and these have 

 fertile queens also, or have started queen cells 

 anew. What is to be done with them ? Pri- 

 marily, nothing more than to see that they do 

 not suffer want. 



About the end of September, or at latest in 

 the early part of October, the last general exam- 

 ination and revision of the apiary must be 

 made. Ifaqueenless colony be now found, a 

 fertile queen must at once be introduced ; and 

 the nucleus from which this queen is taken is thus 

 made queenless. It is then immediately broken 

 up, by transferring bees, brood, and honey to 

 some colonies that will be benefitted by such 

 aid. But we still have remaining a number of 

 nuclei with fertile queens. To be able the 

 more readily to unite these, they are, after the 

 1st of September, to be gradually set closer to- 

 gether, till they are finally all brought side to 

 side. Now, we remove them and place on 

 their stand one or more larger hives ; transfer 

 thereto the combs and bees from these nuclei ; 

 supply them with the requisite honey to carry 

 them through the winter ; and place them in a 

 dark cellar till spring. 



But it were a great pity to lose the supernu- 

 merary fertile queens resulting from this pro- 

 cess of uniting. We must therefore endeavor 

 to preserve them, which I do as follows : 

 While uniting these nuclei, I select and retain 

 for the duplicated colonies the largest and finest 

 of the queeus, and catch and cage the others, 

 suspending each temporarily on a comb in her 



