24 



Farmers' Bulletin il98 



ness of at least 10 days Is more nearly 

 like a parent colony in nature and 

 usually does not prepare to swarm 

 again the same season. 



When two hive bodies are used for 

 brood rearing previous to the honey 

 flow, these two-story hives may be di- 

 vided at the beginning of the honey 

 flow, leaving most of the brood in the 

 hive on the old stand, the queen and 

 the remaining brood together with 

 some adhering bees being placed in the 

 other hive body, which is now sup- 

 plied with a cover and bottom and set 

 near the original hive. If any queen 

 cells are present at the time the divi- 

 sion is made, these must be destroyed. 



body, which usually at this time con- 

 tains the queen, and place supers on 

 the hive body which remains on the 

 old stand. If the nights are cool, 

 such a division may result in the loss 

 of some brood in the brood chamber 

 that is removed, for it is the youngest 

 of the brood that is removed. After 

 the brood is all sealed in the brood 

 chamber on the old stand destroy all 

 queen cells and introduce a young lay- 

 ing queen or permit this division to 

 requeen itself by leaving one queen 

 cell (p. 18). The two divisions may 

 be left standing side by side in order 

 that they may be reunited later. If 

 extra covers and bottoms are not 



ABC 

 •^'?i 11.— -Creating conditions comparable to a parent colony. Plan 1 modified to return 

 the original queen after her separation from the brood for 10 days. A, Colony prepar- 

 ing to swarm. _ B, Bees together with queen shaken from all but one of combs of brood, 

 these combs being placed in second story (1) above a queen excluder, thus confining the 

 queen in a nearly empty hive body (2) below the brood. C. Ten days later all queen 

 cells are destroyed and the queen is returned to the brood, the extra hive body being 

 removed 



The supers are given to the now 

 queenless colony on the old stand. Ten 

 days later the queen cells should be 

 destroyed and a young queen intro- 

 duced, as described above. The two 

 colonies may be reunited at the close 

 of the honey flow if comb honey is 

 being produced, or before the close of 

 the honey flow if extracted honey is 

 being produced. 



2. If the bees have been wintered 

 in a single brood chamber, give a 

 second brood chamber when the col- 

 onies need more room in the spring, 

 placing this second brood chamber on 

 top. When old brood combs are used 

 in this second brood chamber, the 

 queen usually goes into It within a few 

 days. After a week or 10 days divide 

 the colony be removing the upper hive 



available, the division may be made 

 by using an escape board as a cover 

 for the hive on the original stand, 

 having the bee escape removed and 

 the hole for the bee escape entirely 

 closed, the brood chamber containing 

 the queen being on top of this escape 

 board and the regular cover used over 

 all. In this ease an entrance should 

 be provided for the upper hive body 

 by pushing .it forward on the escape 

 board until an opening of sufficient 

 size is formed. If extracted honey is 

 being produced, this escape board may 

 be removed before the close of the 

 honey flow to unite the two divisions, 

 in which case the bees will kill the old 

 queen later, if not at this time; thus 

 the colony is requeened without the 

 necessity of finding the queen, 



