THOUSAND ANSWERS 135 



of my bees. I would like to avoid the troubles of the usual swarm- 

 ing, and yet increase my stock. 



A. Here is one good way: Operate a little before the usual 

 time of swarming in your neighborhood; or, if you wish to take 

 a little more pains, operate after queen-cells are started, but be- 

 fore they are sealed, for with the first sealing a swarm is likely to 

 issue. Set one of the stories on a new stand, putting in it all the 

 frames of brood with adhering bees and leave the rest of the 

 combs and bees with the old queen on the old stand. The hive on 

 the old stand ought to give a good surplus in a good year. There 

 is, however, some danger of a swarm as soon as the first young 

 queen emerges. You can prevent this by destroying all queen- 

 cells but one. Or, you may prevent it by dividing the brood into 

 two parts, providing you want the increase. 



It may be still better first to put all the brood in the upper 

 story, with an excluder between the two stories, and the queen in 

 the lower story. Then, a week later, move the upper story to a 

 new stand. In this case there ought to be no danger of swarming. 



Q. Referring to the Alexander method of preparing colo- 

 nies for division, by placing the older brood above an excluder 

 until sealed, and the queen with open brood below upon the bot- 

 tom; I would like to divide as early as there is sufficient brood,' 

 and, for that reason would like to know if the process might not 

 successfully be reversed, the queen being placed above the ex- 

 cluder, and the brood for sealing below, and thus avoid desertion 

 of the queen by reason of unexpected cold, which has been re- 

 ported by one observer. 



A. Yes, the queen may be put above the excluder, leaving 

 the brood below, although you will probably not like it quite so 

 well, for the natural thing is for bees to work downward, with the 

 brood. 



Increase, Artificial, by Division. — Q. I have 28 strong colonies 

 and want to increase to 50 if possible this season, and would like 

 to do it artificially, as I think it will save a lot of time. This is 

 my second season with bees. How shall I proceed? Would it do 

 to divide the bees just before they are ready to swarm, and is 

 it best to put frames of foundation in the old colony where I 

 take out the frames of brood? 



A. Yes, one of the simplest ways is to divide each colony into 

 two parts before the bees swarm. Leave the old queen on the 

 old stand and put more than half of the brood with adhering 

 bees on a new stand and they will rear a queen. Fill vacancies 

 with frames having full sheets of foundation. 



But that's far from the best way. Just what the best way is. 



