17-1 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



young' queen was laying the old hive was taken away and the 

 " i)ut-up " hi\f was put down iii its place. Thus the whole 

 force of the colony was kept together, there was a young queen 

 of the current year's rearing, practically reared in the hive, and 

 that colony was past the anxiety for the season. Some, how- 

 ever, say that such a queen will swarm with them. 



GETTING BEES TO DESTROY CELLS. 



I said tlie brood was put up, but said nothing about the 

 bees or the queen-cells. No attention was i^aid to the queen- 

 cells, and about half the bees were shaken off the combs — 

 perhaps more than half. Just how many bees to leave in the 

 " put-up " hive was not an easy matter to gauge. If too few- 

 there would be dulled brood. If too many the young queen 

 would leave with a swarm. Of course the latter dangei' could 

 be avoided by destroying all queen-cells in the " put-up," but 

 that would make more work, aud if theie are few enough bees 

 all superfluous cells will be desti'oyed by the bees themselves, 

 and there will be no danger of swarming. 



NUCLEUS TO PREVEXT SWAHIIIXG, 



A modification of the plan sometimes used was to take a 

 nucleus from somewhere else and put in the place of the colony. 

 But in this case the colony was made queenless two or three 

 days in advance. Either plan left the colony without aiiv 

 diminution of its forces, and with no very great check to its 

 wuik, and these plans migld ha\e been continued if it had not 

 been that I struck upon a plan that seemed eciually effective 

 but (juite a little easier. This was at hist called the foundation 

 plan, and afterward the excluder plan. Before speaking of 

 this, however, it will be well to speak of the preliminary worlv. 

 which is the same for all colonies, whether the after treatment 

 be on tlip " put-up " plan or some other piaii 



PRELIMINARY WORK. 



As soon as colonies become strong and are working busily, 

 we begin to be on the lookout for queen-colls. This generally 

 will not be till the bees are at work on clover bloom, although 

 it may happen in some seasons that preparation for swarming 



