SPRING MANAGEMENT. 315 
greater than is thought desirable, it may be remedied 
by means of another advantage of frame hives, for 
the frames of the over-thriving new colony can be 
extracted one by one and the young nurse bees shaken 
from them on to the alighting-board of the one which 
requires strengthening—the day of course being a 
warm one upon which there is no fear of chilling 
the brood. If this cannot be managed, the hives 
may again change places for a day or two; or driving 
can be adopted. 
In searching in frame hives for the queen it is 
advisable to commence at the centre frames, for the 
chances are greatest that she will be upon one of 
these. Similarly, the frame upon which she is 
found should be placed in the centre of the new 
hive. As to the hive from which she was taken, the 
direction on page 110, to make all additions of empty 
frames in this same part, will apply to cases of arti- 
ficial swarming, and to all such removals made during 
the working season, as it is observed that the occur- 
rence of a gap always gives the bees a spur to increased 
exertions. But if the transfer should happen from any 
cause to be made at another time of the year, the frames 
in the hive should then be closed together, and the 
space curtailed by the usual shifting of a dummy. 
For bee-keepers who desire swarms for their own 
sake the above directions supply all that is essen- 
tial; but we doubt not that all who wish to go 
thoroughly into this branch of apiculture will pro- 
cure Mr. Langstroth’s invaluable work ‘ The Honey 
Bee,” in the tenth chapter of which they will find a 
variety of different courses of procedure which would 
