180 A Modern Bee-Farm 
“How am I to Stock the Commercial Hive ?” 
is a frequent question. Well, if you wish to stock it to 
the best advantage, of course you must begin well. You 
may unite, and at the same time transfer to it, two other 
stocks from standard frames, thus making a grand working 
colony at a stroke. 
Then again, you may, towards June, select two good 
colonies standing near together ; place the Conqueror hive 
between them to receive a swarm artificially made from 
each, and uniting with one queen. The standard hives, 
from which the swarms are taken will then be moved 
away, and these again united, with the other queen 
presiding. Thus my plan of combined swarming and 
uniting, without increase, will give two rousing colonies 
for honey production.* The entire contents of two straw 
skeps may also be made use of in the same way, if these 
are on hand. There is really no reason whatever for the 
bee-keeper to use single swarms and stocks when he is 
assured the same bees will be doubly profitable when 
united ; while if worked singly, little or nothing may be 
obtained from them. 
“Tf I Adopt Commercial Frames 
what am I to do with my Standard combs?” is another 
query frequently presented. If not transferred to the 
‘Commercial frames the Standard combs will always do 
for extracting, and will be most useful for that purpose, 
as it is quite unnecessary, and not intended that the 
Commercial stock frames should be extracted from. 
Convincing Facts 
relating to the superiority of large frames and large hives 
’ 
* This is one of the best methods to follow in treating bee-paralysis. 
