68 A Modern Bee-Farm 
July, the best results are secured by preventing the issue 
of swarms, unless obtained from three to four weeks before 
the first honey flow is usually expected >but nevertheless, 
unless 
The Equivalent of Swarming 
is allowed, our stock must deteriorate as a natural conse- ' 
quence. Therefore select one out of every 10 colonies 
and devote it to queen-raising (see chapter on same), 
and allow one nucleus with a young queen to stand by 
the side of every stock. By the Autumn such nuclei will 
have themselves become fairly strong, when the old queens 
can be destroyed and the two lots respectively united in 
the evening of the following day. 
Having studied the general rules to be observed if we 
wish to have only good working stock, we must now. 
consider which are the 
Most Suitable Bees 
for our purpose, whether we intend to work them for 
comb or extracted honey. 
The advantages to be derived from the foreign varieties 
can hardly be over-estimated, for by crossing with queens 
of the native kind, we get greater fecundity, and better 
honey-gathering powers than either pure race possesses. 
In the former chapter I have already shown that a black 
queen may form the basis from which to build up a good 
working strain. Select such queen of known excellence, 
and for the production of comb-honey use Italian or 
Carniolan drones to mate with young ones raised from 
her; the first cross being the most suitable. 
For extracted honey a good Italian strain will be found 
to give the best results. Pure black bees are not at all 
desirable for either purpose, as they cease storing quite a 
month sooner than the foreign varieties or hybrids ; more- 
