AUSTRALASIAN BEE MANUAL 93 



a good cell should be made for the one that is to remain 

 in the hive, and the others, if of an excellent strain, 

 may be utilized in forming- nuclei. (See Queen-Rearing.) 



INCREASE BY ARTIFICIAL MEANS. 



There are several methods by which increase of 

 colonies may be obtained other than by that of natural 

 swarming, and by which more control is assured, but 

 whichever method is adopted it should be combined with 

 Queen rearing, as this combination is undoubtedly the 

 best for the commercial bee-keeper. I have practised 

 dividing on different lines, all of which have been satis- 

 factory, but I believe the best is that described and 

 carried out by the late E. W. Alexander, the gist of 

 which is included in the following : — 



When a colony is in a condition to swarm naturally, 

 remove it from its stand, and put in its place a hive 

 furnished with frames of comb, or foundation. Remove 

 one frame from the centre, and insert a frame of brood 

 and the queen from the hive removed in the place of 

 it, taking care there are no occupied queen cells on the 

 comb, if SO', destroy them. Place a queen excluder over 

 the frames, and set the original hive with its bees over 

 the excluder. In five days examine the old combs care- 

 fullv, and if queen cells have been started and are fur- 

 nished with larvae, destroy them, unless the strain of 

 bees is good and is worth breeding from, in which case 

 the cells may be retained and the box with the bees may 

 be moved to a new stand. If free of queen cells, or 

 the cells have been destroyed, the box may remain for 

 ten days or so, by which time all the brood will be 

 capped, and things will be well forward in the lower box. 

 The upper box with the bees may then be removed to a 

 new stand and be given in a few hours either a ripe 

 queen cell, or a laying queen, the latter being the best. 

 Bv this plan no time has been lost, there has been no 

 risk of losing swarms, 100 per cent, increase has been 

 made, and both colonies will be in a flourishing condition. 



