172 HANDY BOOK OF BEES. 



In this work of selecting hives for stock, the age of 

 queens must never he lost sight of or forgotten. AU the 

 old queens wiU be found in the top or first swarms, and 

 if any of these containing queens more than two years old 

 be selected for stock, it is desirable to remove and destroy 

 the old queens, and put younger ones in their places. 

 All parent hives, second swarms, and turnouts have young 

 queens. Second swarms and turnouts, with pretty and 

 closely-built combs, weighing from 36 to 50 lb. each, make 

 excellent stock - hives. If some of them have faulty 

 combs, or are otherwise objectionable, they are marked for 

 honey, and the parent hives kept for another year. 



^irst or top swarms in ordinary seasons are too heavy 

 for keeping, and are therefore generally put down for 

 honey, but in rainy seasons they are often kept for stock. 



Mow, let us suppose a bee-keeper has twenty hives at the 

 end of August, ten for stock and ten for honey. Should 

 he apply the brimstone to the ten for honey 1 No, and 

 again we say no ; but drive the bees out of them, and 

 unite them to those selected for keeping. This is a con- 

 sideration of prime importance ; for hives thus plentifully 

 furnished with bees in September are worth much more 

 than those which, being otherwise equal, receive no addi- 

 tions of bees from withoxit. Hives thus strengthened are 

 weU. able to bear the difficulties of cold winters ; they 

 swarm about a month sooner than others in spring ; and 

 their first swarms, in fine seasons, will have their hives 

 filled with combs, and be nearly ready to swarm them- 

 selves, before hives not so skilfully and liberally dealt 

 with begin to swarm at aU. No poor words of ours c%a 

 " describe the value of this hint. Let it go and be circu- 

 lated widely with that of large hives, and the success of 

 those who carry it into practice will soon stimulate the 

 attention of those who do not ; the awful brimstone-pit. 



