[NCKEASE AND THE PROFITABLE PKODUCTION OF BEES. 55 



should have mated and be commencing to lay ; it is just at 

 this time that a little judicious assistance is needed to build the 

 stocks vip into strong colonies. The nucleus especially, being 

 weaker than the old stock, will be benefited by a little feeding. 

 Not more than a quarter of a pint of syrup every evening will be 

 required, but it is wonderful how this will stimulate the bees to 

 breed if given regularly. In a good season, when honey is 

 abundant, the bees in the old hive and also those in the second 

 swarm will gather sufficient honey to stimulate them to rear 

 plenty of brood, but in a poor season or in a locality where 

 honey is scarce they should be fed with a quai'ter of a pint of 

 syrup, regularly every day, in the bottle feeder used for spring 

 stimulation. When the frames in the centre of the hive are 

 filled with brood, those at the sides which contain none may 

 be placed in the centre, while those which contain brood are 

 removed to the sides of the hive ; the queen will then lay in 

 the empty combs which have been placed in the centre of the 

 hive. The frames must only be moved about in this way if 

 the bees are strong enough to cover all the combs, otherwise 

 there is fear of the brood being chilled. 



Six frames will have been quite sufficient to hive the 

 second swarm upon, and this number should not be increased 

 till five weeks after the swarm came oflf, by which time 

 sufficient brood should have hatched out to justify the 

 apiarist in placing another frame in the centre of the brood 

 nest ; more frames may be added every six or seven days 

 until there are from ten to twelve in the hive, and if the 

 swarm is worked up by stimulation to cover all these frames 

 well by September 15th, it will make a very fair stock next 

 spring. 



With regard to the old stock and the nucleus, it will often 

 be six weeks from the time when the second swarm issued 

 before they are strong enough to have another frame put in 

 the centre of the hive, because the queens frequently do not 

 hatch out till some days after the second swarm went off, 

 consequently they are later in mating and in commencing to 

 lay than the queen which accompanied the second swarm, and 

 so these hives do not get strengthened from brood hatching out 

 as soon as the second swarm does. 



The parent colony and the nucleus should, like the second 

 swarm, be worked up to cover ten or twelve frames by the 

 middle of September ; and if any one of these three hiveo 



