ARTIFICIAL SWABMLNG. 199 



colonies. For these and other reasons, I much prefer the 

 methods which I have devised, for dispensing with so much 

 opening of hives and handling of combs. If, however, 

 any of the new colonies are weak enough to need it, they 

 may be helped to combs from stronger stocks. 



Whatever method of artificial increase is pursued by 

 the Apiarian, he should never reduce the strength of his 

 mother-stocks, so a# seriously to cripple the reproductive 

 power of their queens. This principle should be to him 

 as "the law of the JMedes and Persians, which altereth 

 not :" for while a qnieen, with an abundance of worker- 

 comb and bees, may, in a single season, become the parent 

 of a number of prosperous families, if her colony, at the 

 beginning of the swarming season, is divided into three 

 or four parts, not one of them will ordinarily acquire 

 stores enough to survive the Winter. 



If the Apiarian is in the vicinity of sugar-houses, con- 

 fectioneries, or other tempting places of bee-resort, he will 

 find his stocks, both old and new, so depopulated by their 

 zeal for ill-gotten gams, as to be in danger of perishing. 

 In such situations, all attempts at rapid increase are 

 entirely futile. 



Artificial operations of all kinds are most successful 

 when bee-forage is abundant / when it is scarce they are 

 quite precarious, even if the colonies are well supplied 

 with food. 



When bees are not busy in honey-gathering, they have 

 leisure to ascertain the condition of weak stocks, which 

 are almost certain to be robbed, if they are incautiously 

 opened. When forage is scarce, the hives should be 

 opened before sunrise, or after sunset, or when very few 

 bees are flying abroad; and if it is necessary to open them 

 at other tunes, they must be removed out of the reach of 

 annoyance from other colonies. The Apiarian who does 



