CONTENTS. iii 



PAGE 



Chapter XVI. — Commencing Bee-Keeping ... ... 83 



Three words of advice, ii9. Begin on a small scale, 150. Purchasing 

 bees, 151. Commencing with a swarm, 152. Moving swarms, 153. 

 Sending swarms per post, 15i. Commencing with a stook, 165. 

 Moving stocks, 156. Moving stocks in skeps by road or rail, 157. 

 Moving stocks in frame hives by road or rail, 158. Commencing 

 with driven bees, 1S9. Driving bees, 160. Study the aubjeot, 161. 



Chapter XVII. — Subduing and Handling Bees ... 92 



Tranquilising influence of smoke, 162. Unprovoked (tinging excep- 

 tional, 163. Fearless defence of the home, 164. What constitutes 

 a "Master of Bees," 163. Swarming bees — ^harmless, 166. Full of 

 sweets — empty of bitterness, 167. A firm and gentle hand neces- 

 sary, 168. Protection for beginners, 169. Treatment of stings, 170. 



Chapter XVIII. — Manipulating ... ... ... gg 



Appliances required, 171. Comb stand, 172. Comb box, 173. Vase- 

 line and Petroleum jelly, 174. Preparing the smoker, 175. Prepar- 

 ing the carbolic cloth, 176. Opening the hive, 177. Manipulating 

 wicked stocks, 178. Forcing the paoe, 179. Smoking overdone, 

 180. No food — no subjugation, 181. Examining the combs : 

 finding the queen, 182. The combs described, 183. Removing 

 oees trom combs, 184. Turning combs, 183. Searching for the 

 Queen, ItjSb. 



Chapter XIX.— Breeding ... ... ... ... ^oa 



Breeding begins, 186. Congestion to b» guarded against, 187. 

 Drone-breeding queens, 188. Age of larvte, 180. Worker brood, 

 190. New oombs for breeding, IM. Stimulating in spring, 192. 

 Spreading the brood, 193. Drone brood, IM. Controlling drone 

 rearing, 195. Queen cells, 196. Nursing queen larvse, 197. 

 Wonderful effects of special nursing, 198. Queen brood, 199. 

 Laying workers, 200. Removing laying workers, 201. Stimulat- 

 ing in autumn, 202, Breeding oeases, 203. Metamorphosis, etc., 

 of bees. 204. 



Chapter XX.— Swarming ... ... ... »•■ ^'^ 



Natural swarming, 205. Signs of swarming, 206. Delay Bf swarm- 

 ing, 207. The swarm, 208. Vagaries of swarms, 209. To 

 encourage clustering, 210. Truant swarms, 211. CHipping queens 

 wings, 212. The parent stock, 213. Casta, 214. Hunger swarms, 

 215. Prevention of swarming, 216. Giving room, 217. Ventila- 

 tion, 218. Limiting drone rearing, 219. Limiting queen rearmg, 

 220. Prevention of oasts , 221. Artificial swarming, 222. Condi- 

 tions, 228. One swarm from one eolony, 224. One stronger swarm 

 from two colonies, 225. Using three or more stocks. 226. Making 

 swarms for sale, 227. One swarm from a stock and a nucleus, 228. 

 Making swarms from stocks in skeps, 229. A stronger swarm from 

 two skioks in skeps, 230 



