qniEN RBAKINO AI«I> INTBODDOTION. 161 



as prevails in the swarming season ; and, also, that the queen 

 rearing should be from the eggs of those queens which are in 

 their prime, i.e., in their second year, and which have dis- 

 tinguished themselves as the best in the apiary by reason of 

 the excellence of their laying powers, and the vigour and dili- 

 gence of their progeny. It is desirable, further, that the 

 mating of the young queens should be with the best drones, 

 the temperament of the progeny being largely influenced by 

 the male element. If you have a sufficient number of stocks 

 to permit of two being set apart for the purpose, select two 

 of the most desirable (A and B), and keep up regular stimula- 

 tive feeding (192), and the other methods already described 

 (193) to bring the two stocks rapidly to full strength. When 

 the hive B (which is to rear the drones), is sufficiently strong, 

 insert two drone combs, or two frames of drone foundation, 

 in the centre of the brood nest, and do not permit the feeding 

 to flag, so that drones may be flying from that hive in time 

 to fertilise the young queens. To carry the preparations 

 further, drone breeding may be limited, or prevented in the 

 other stocks, by cutting out or removing all drone comb, and 

 by supplying only worker comb or worker foundation. (195). 



287. Using a Swarmed Stock Suppose that the good stock 



(A) sends off a prime swarm. The swarm may be hived, and 

 placed upon the stand previously occupied by the parent stock, 

 and may receive from the latter the supers, and the flying bees 

 returning to their old stand (240). That swarm should give 

 a good account of itself. The parent stock is removed to 

 another part of the apiary and examined. It will be found 

 to have a number of queen cells, and a good supply of young 

 bees upon, let us suppose, nine or ten frames. Now, a pre- 

 pared hive, with three compartments, or three nucleus hives, 

 being at hand, the combs with the bees from the parent stock 

 are inserted, so as to form three nuclei, each having one or 

 two queen cells. When a queen has been hatched and fertil- 

 ised, she can be introduced to a stock which requires requeen- 

 ing, and the nucleus from which she has been taken may be 

 used to rear more queens. Eventually the two dummies may 

 be removed, and the bees may be united into one stock (246), 

 or, the bees and frames may be given to other stocks. This 

 operation, it will be seen, has the recommendation of extreme 

 simplicity. 



288. The Returned Swarm Method. — A plan which is some- 

 times adopted is, to let the best stock swarm, and from this, 

 the prime or first swarm, to remove the old queen, allowing 

 the swarm to return to the hive. Nine days later the swarm, 

 increased in size, will re-issue, headed by a virgin queen. 



