112 INCREASE 



The first had no brood, but the field bees would shortly return to 

 make a broodless colony. ISTo. 2 had no queen but would get the 

 field force of I^o. 3, which had been moved to a new location 

 and would require some time to recuperate. Seven colonies still 

 remained which had not been touched. Each of these was exam- 

 ined, and wherever possible to spare a frame of brood it was 

 taken away and given to No. 1, which had no brood. To begin 

 with, he found only four frames, but this was given to the colony 

 which had been robbed of its brood, being set on the top in a new 

 hive body. 



At the end of nine days a second visit was made. This time 

 Ko. 2, which had brood but no queen, was divided into two parts, 

 as by this time queen cells were present. The two nuclei were 

 set in new locations and the brood and bees again taken from 

 'No. 1 and placed where No. 2 had been. The other seven colon- 

 ies were again visited and such brood as they could spare was 

 taken from them and given to No. 1. This plan was continued 

 through the season, always leaving the queen at No. 1, so that 

 the queen cells built on the combs in ISTo. 2 were the offspring of 

 the best queen. No. 2 did not at any time have any queen but 

 was constantly building new cells and the other seven colonies 

 were constantly (every nine days) drawn on for brood to replen- 

 ish No. 1. In this way the colonies were at no time greatly 

 weakened, excepting the nuclei made from No. 2. This is a very 

 good plan of making rapid increase and at the same time a safe 

 one, for if conditions suddenly become unfavorable the operator 

 will not find himself with a large number of very weak colonies 

 on hand, which must be united or fed. 



INTRODUCING QUEENS 



In making increase artificially by any plan an extra queen 

 will be required to supply each new hive. If capped queen 

 cells are given, the bees are likely to realize their queenless con- 

 dition before the young queen emerges, so that she should be 

 accepted without difficulty. This is a very common plan of pro- 



