84 PROFITABLE BEE-KEEPING 



With the plan given, any number of nuclei may 

 be joined together, and if there is no choice in 

 the queens it is not necessary to remove them. 

 The bees will settle that to their own satisfaction 

 without any trouble on your part. It is only 

 advisable to cage the queen when all the others 

 have been removed, to avoid any risk of her 

 being damaged. 



When disease exists in a locality it is wise to 

 refrain from interchanging brood and bees from 

 established stocks, No more colonies should be 

 interfered with than is absolutely necessary. In 

 making up a nuclei, for instance, if three are re- 

 quired, break a colony up entirely, but do not 

 make one from each of three colonies. This form- 

 ing of nuclei colonies early in the season is a very 

 good method of increase, but care must be taken 

 or they will suffer checks, and fail to build up 

 sufficiently strong for wintering. They should be 

 gently fed when there is no natural supply, and 

 carefully protected from robbers. ' 



Instead of increasing native stocks it will be 

 advisable to add to the number of Dutch colonies 

 for the present. These Dutch bees, while not 

 immune from the attacks of Isle of Wight disease, 

 have very strong constitutions, and are great 

 disease resisters. Unfortunately, just now the 

 demand for these bees exceeds the supply, but 

 with a cessation of war conditions this would 

 probably adjust itself. 



