Parties interested in the importation and sale of foreign bees are 

 mainly responsible for the statements claiming immunity for these races. 



There should be clear and convincing proof, backed by scientifically 

 conducted experiments carried out on a suitable scale, that a substantial 

 advantage is to be gained by the wholesale importation of foreign bees 

 before such schemes are put in force. 



Importation of foreign races in the past has, owing to uncontrolled 

 interbreeding with the native race, produced the race of nondescripts which 

 is now common in Britain, and which has been almost wiped out by the 

 Isle of Wight disease. 



By importing more races further crossing will be brought about, and it 

 is to be feared that all that remains of the native race will be destroyed. 



Bees increase very rapidly under favourable conditions. If the present 

 system of preventing swarming was suspended for a few seasons and stocks 

 encouraged to send out swarms, the colonies of native bees would hold 

 their own and stocks would increase quickly. The owners of apiaries would 

 find a ready sale for all increase at a profitable figure, and at the same time 

 would assist their less fortunate neighbours to restock with home-bred bees. 



Where stocks show a disinclination to swarm naturally, artificial swarms 

 may be made by one of the methods explained below. 



In making artificial swarms certain conditions are requisite. Colonies 

 which are to be swarmed should be very full of bees, and the swarm should 

 not be made until the natural swarming season is approaching. Artificial 

 swarms made out of season are generally failures. There should be drones 

 on the wing or hatching from the combs. The swarm must be made about 

 noon on a fine day, so that a large number of bees may be on the wing to 

 form the swarm. Honey should be coming into the hive in fair quantity, 

 or liberal feeding must be resorted to as a substitute. 



The swarm may be made from one colony or from a number of separate 

 colonies. If only one is to be operated upon the method is simple, but 

 the colony must be a good one. About noon, when bees are flying freely, 

 the hive should be opened and the combs carefully examined until the 

 queen is found. The comb on which she is found should be placed in 

 the centre of an empty hive without disturbing the bees or queen. On 

 each side of this comb three or four frames fitted with foundation combs 

 should be hung and the hive closed. When the bee-keeper has a store of 

 fully-built-out combs in reserve, it is an advantage to use these in preference 

 to frames with foundation only. A spare comb or frame of foundation 

 must be introduced into the space caused by the removal of the comb with 

 the queen and bees from the parent hive. The hive from which the comb 

 was taken should be moved as quickly as possible to a new stand some 

 distance away and the one with the queen put in its place. The flying 

 bees on their return will enter the new hive on their accustomed stand and 

 so will form the swarm. 



The hive from which the swarm has been taken will now be queenless, 

 but the bees which remain will at once begin to provide one from a worker 



