MID-SEASON WORK 73 



The common way of dealing with a swarm is to 

 hive it on a new site, and more often than not 

 the supers are left on the old stock. This is not 

 a bit of use, and the adoption of this method 

 will lead to a loss of nearly, the whole of the 

 honey crop. 



A few spare queens may be' easily reared when a 

 swarm comes off, by the simple plan of breaking 

 up the old stock into three nuclei; each nucleus 

 consisting of three frames with the adhering bees, 

 and one or two good queen-cells, of which there 

 will usually be an abundance. The division is 

 best made about six days after the stock has 

 swarmed. In making it, allow one nucleus to re- 

 main on the stand of the old colony, and make 

 the two others on new locations. The one re- 

 maining on the old spot may be left rather weaker 

 than the others when the division takes place, 

 as it will be strengthened somewhat by a number 

 of flying bees which will return to it from the 

 others. In a few days time the queens will have 

 hatched, and on becoming fertilized may be use- 

 fully employed for re-queening purposes, or for 

 sale. The nuclei may then be joined up again to 

 make a full colony. 



At the end of the honey flow, unless every care 

 is taken, there will be much trouble from rob- 

 bing bees, and when bees commence to rob in 

 earnest the apiary rapidly becomes demoralized. 

 It Very soon becomes the despair of its owner 

 and a terror to the neighbours. Fighting takes 



