THE BEEKEEPERS' DIRECTORY. 99 



the honey harvest, I divided six colonies of bees in the fol- 

 lowing manner : The bees were in eight-frame hives. As 

 near as I could do so, I took one-half of the combs, bees, 

 brood and honey and placed them in an empty hive and then 

 filled the balance of the brood-chamber with frames of foun- 

 dation. After locating the queen in one of the hives, it was 

 moved about ten feet to a new location, and at the same time 

 a queen was introduced by the cage method to the other col- 

 ony or other half of the original stock. The covers were then 

 placed on and the bees left alone for several weeks. On 

 opening the hives one day, I found the foundation well drawn 

 out, brood in all the combs and the new queens successfully 

 introduced, but no stores. Those colonies did not gather an 

 ounce of honey after they were divided. Wet weather set 

 in Sept. 1 and ruined the fall crop. The result was that ev- 

 ery colony had to be fed nearly all their winter stores. 



I should have said that the frames of foundation were 

 placed in between each two combs of brood so far as it could 

 be done. 



How to manage an apiary when one has all the colonies needed. 



I cannot say from experience just what I would do in case 

 my apiary had reached that number of colonies that further 

 increase would be undesirable, as I have never been in just 

 those circumstances. However, the things that the beekeeper 

 might desire in the line of increase would be beyond his 

 power to control, as the bees would continue to swarm the 

 same as usual. Now, rather than purchase new hives, I think 

 it a better plan to double-up, putting two and even three 

 swarms in one hive. Why not? There can be no objection 

 to such a practice and the advantages by so doing are many. 



If increase of comb honey is the object, what better meth- 

 od for securing it could be adopted ? If one colony issues 

 hive it ; if one or two more come out the same day, put them 

 in with the first swarm. Then pile on the sections and give 

 the bees a chance ; one, two and even three cases of sections, 

 if there are bees enough to work in so many. 



In a large apiary there will be, or there generally are, more 

 or less colonies whose queens during the season have become 

 worthless on account of old age, and other colonies that have 

 lost their queens. In order to keep the apiary dov^n to a cer- 



