BOXING AND SURPLUS HONEY. 1738 
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 off 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 
