50 A Modern Bee-Farm 



apiarist is necessary. A well -developed queen is more hardy ' 

 and energetic than a smaller one ; and, as a rule, will get 

 mated in risky weather when twenty inferior queens fail to 

 meet a drone. 



The finest queens are obtained from young mothers. A 

 queen is in her highest state of excellence soon after she com- 

 mences to lay, and can be used for breeding other queens, if 

 from stock of known excellence, as soon as it is found by her 

 hatching bees that she has mated correctly. 



Queens cannot be too Prolific. 



I am aware that there are some bee-keepers who consider 

 that a queen can be too prolific. It may be so with their ' 

 management, but as a simple matter of fact the more prolific 

 the queen, the larger the surplus stored, hut one's management 

 must provide that she does her best before the season opens ; 

 thereafter she will simply keep pace with the wear and tear 

 upon the life of the workers. 



It will be asked, "And how are we to provide that the best 

 powers of the queen are to be used up before actual storage 

 commences ? " Some important matters having reference, 

 thereto I have already given ; but one way of doing this is to 

 unite two or more colonies, making them very strong in the 

 Autumn whenever it is found stocks are at all under full 

 strength. Another plan is to unite about ten days before the 

 season is expected to open and thus in either case providing 

 that the number of actual gatherers shall presently be far in 

 excess of those required to attend to the young. 



As a rule, especially where no honey is obtained after July, 

 the best results are secured by preventing the issue of swarms ; 

 but nevertheless, unless 



The Equivalent of Swarming 



is allowed our stock must deteriorate as a natural consequence. 

 Therefore select one out of every ten colonies and devote it to 



