106 THE BEE keeper's MANUAL. 



39. A good hive should enable the Apiarian, if he relies 

 on natural swarming, and wishes to multiply his colonies as 

 fast as possible, to make vigorous stocks of all his small 

 after-swarms. 



Such swarms contain a young queen, and if they can be 

 judiciously strengthened, usually make the best stock hives. 

 If hived in a common hive, and left to themselves, unless 

 very early, or in very favorable seasons, they seldom thrive. 

 They generally desert their hives, or perish in the winter. 

 If they are small, they cannot be made powerful, even by 

 the most generous feeding. There are too few bees to 

 build comb, and take care of the eggs which a healthy queen 

 can lay ; and when fed, they are apt to fill with honey, the 

 cells in which young bees ought to be raised ; thus making 

 the kindness of their owner serve only to hasten their de- 

 struction. TVTy hives enable me to supply all such swarms 

 at once with combs containing bee-bread, honey and brood 

 almost mature. TJiey are thus made strong, and flourish as 

 well, nay, often better than the first swarms which have an 

 old queen, whose fertility is generally not so great as that of 

 a young one. 



40. It should enable the Apiarian to multiply his colonies 

 with a certainty and rapidity which are entirely out of the 

 question, if he depends upon natural swarming. (See Chap- 

 ter on Artificial Swarming.) 



41. It should enable the Apiarian to supply destitute colo- 

 nies with the means of obtaining a new queen. 



Every Apiarian would find it, for this reason, if for no other, 

 to his advantage to possess, at least, one such hive. (See 

 Chapters on Physiology, and loss of Queen.) 



42. It should enable him to catch the queen, for any pur- 

 pose ! especially to remove an old one whose fertility is im- 

 paired by age, that her place may be supplied with a young 

 one. (See Chapter on Artificial Swarming.) 



