THOUSAND ANSWERS 137 



The earlier you start a colony the less need of its being strong, 

 as it has a longer time to build up before winter. 



It is not easy to say what may be the best way for you. What 

 may be best for one may not be the best for another. Perhaps 

 the easiest way is to take half the combs, bees and all, out of a 

 hive and put into another hive, filling out each hive with combs 

 or frames filled with foundation, setting the hives side by side, 

 as nearly as possible on the old location, trusting to the queen- 

 less part to rear its own queen. 



A better way is to look four days later and see which hive 

 contains eggs, and give a laying queen to the other part. That, 

 •of course, involves buying and introducing a queen. 



If you want the bees to rear their own queen, here is a better 

 plan : Find the queen and put her with two frames and all ad- 

 hering bees into another hive on a new stand. A week liter a 

 number of queen-cells will be in the now queenless colony, when 

 you let the hives exchange places, and the bees will do the rest. 

 If you want to have more than one new colony, you can divide 

 the queenless part, putting the larger half on an entirely new 

 stand. 



Increase, Artificial, Nucleus Plan. — Q. Give me a good way 

 for artificial increase. 



A. Take from the strong colony two frames of brood with 

 adhering bees and queen, put on a new stand and imprison them 

 for three days. A week after the queen is taken away, let the 

 two hives swap places. That will double the number. If you want 

 to make more out of that one colony, you can divide the old 

 colony into two or more nuclei at the time of swapping places, 

 being sure that each has a good queen-cell located centrally 

 where the bees will keep it warm, and then if necessary you can 

 strengthen these nuclei after the queens get to laying by giving 

 them brood from other colonies. 



Q. I have a colony of Italian bees from which I intend to 

 make increase. If I make nuclei from it, will it be safe to give 

 frames of brood with adhering bees from other colonies? Or is 

 there danger that the bees will kill the queen or destroy the 

 queen-cells? If this is not safe, how fast can frames of brood 

 without bees be given? I understand if too much brood is given 

 at once some will starve. 



A. It requires judgment in giving frames of brood with ad- 

 hering bees, as it depends upon the strength of the nucleus how 

 much can be given at a time. You evidently have in mind two 



