BOXING AND SUBPLUS HONET, 173 



above mentioned blossoms, swarms are populous enough 

 to occupy boxes, I find it advantageous to take cards of 

 brood from them and exchange for empty combs in 

 weaker swarms. Or, when there are facilities for adding 

 an indefinite number of frames, as with the Quinby hive, 

 I occasionally add an empty comb to the center of the 

 brood-nest, which the queen will soon fill with eggs ; and 

 in this way increase the force of working bees. I fre- 

 quently add combs from time to time in this manner, un- 

 til I have 10 or 12 frames containing brood in very many 

 hives. 



As six combs are all that the hive requires when boxed, I 

 remove all above that number, leaving only such as are well 

 filled with brood, and then arrange the boxes in place. 

 These surplus combs are of value in dividing colonies for 

 increase, or for adding to hives designed for extracting, 

 as directed in Chap. XI. If done at the proper time, the 

 brood-chamber being diminished in size, and the remain- 

 ing combs filled with maturing brood, the bees will at 

 once enter the boxes and commence storing honey. If 

 we desire box-honey to present the most attractive ap- 

 pearance, it is essential that the boxes shall not be fur- 

 nished until the bees are ready to begin work at once, and 

 will fill them rapidly. If they are on too long before- 

 hand, the bees are apt to round t)ff the unfinished edges 

 of the guide combs, and are more reluctant to begin work 

 upon them. The number of boxes required will depend 

 upon the strength of the colony and amount of forage. 

 It is quite important that the bee-keeper can estimate the 

 probable duration of the honey yield, as it draws to a 

 close. "When the first set of boxes is removed, they may 

 be replaced with empty ones, but great care should be 

 exercised not to add too many. It is quite a common 

 error, even with experienced apiarians, to add boxes so 

 late in the season as to be obliged to remove them when 

 but partly filled, and badly soiled. These unfinished 



