NATtTRAl AND ARTIFICIAL IITCEEASE. ICJ 



have teen prepared as nuclei, and each contains one or 

 two combs with a queen, and a small quantity of bees. 

 When the colony becomes populous, and honey is gath' 

 ered freely, a comb containing sealed brood may be re- 

 moved, and replaced with empty comb or foundation. 

 Shake the bees from this frame in front of the hive, al- 

 lowing such young bees as cling to it to remain, and 

 make room for it in a nucleus by moving the division 

 board farther to one side. If the weather continues favor- 

 able, examine the old colony two or three days later, and 

 if the last comb added is found to be filled with eggs 

 and honey, another comb of brood may be removed 

 and added to the nucleus. If there are several stocks 

 from which increase is to be made, a comb may be taken 

 from each simultaneously ; but if six or seven are thus 

 taken at one time, and united to fill a hive where a queen 

 and but few bees are in waiting, the queen should be first 

 caged, and the old bees carried with the combs, instead 

 of being shaken off as before directed, as a larger quantity 

 of bees than the nucleus contains will be required to 

 cover and care for so much brood. Always be sure that 

 the queen is not on the combs thus removed. In a few 

 days after this colony is formed, another may be made 

 from the same stocks. The queen should be released in 

 twenty-four hours after the swarm is made, always using 

 smoke freely at such times. The advantages of this 

 method are apparent. If honey-gathering should sud- 

 denly cease, as sometimes happens, no partly filled hives 

 will be on hand, as when all but one or two combs are 

 taken from the old hive. I recall one occasion when I 

 divided several colonies in May, giving each part four 

 fiombs and four empty frames. Bad weather supervened, 

 and in fact little honey was gathered during the entire 

 summer, and I was obliged to unite the divided colonies 

 to Hing them to a proper condition for winter. 



