158 A Modern Bee-Farm 



Of course it is understood that no other queen is to be in 



the hive at the time another is to be given, or the new one will 



certainly be destroyed. The novice may experience some 



difficulty in 



Finding the Queen 



to be superseded, and he will certainly do better to leave his 

 queens alone until he gains more experience, unless he is 

 absolutely certain that any are actually failing. If he tries 

 any new race, as yet he is hardly capable of forming a correct 

 opinion of them, and the probability is that the natives will 

 answer his purpose best for the first year or two at least. 



In frame hives the fertile queen can generally be found 

 without much trouble, as she is parading the brood combs, the 

 hive being opened with as little disturbance as possible, and 

 the frames gently lifted and examined one by one. If not to 

 be seen there, look well around the edges of the combs, or she 

 may be found on the floor, or at one corner among the bees : 

 it may even be necessary to remove the combs to a temporary 

 hive while looking for her around the sides, taking care not to 

 get the brood chilled. An unfertile or virgin queen is often 

 most difficult to find, and at times even an expert bee-keeper 

 would be tempted to say that no queen was there, were it not 

 that the actions of the bees tend to show otherwise. A careful 

 examination will generally reveal her presence ; but failing to 

 find her, when you think there should be one, give the bees a 

 comb of unsealed brood, and if they build queen cells thereon 

 it is almost certain no queen is there ; if otherwise, do not 

 risk the life of a valuable queen until the other has been found. 

 With fixed combs the only way is to "drive" the bees out and 

 catch the queen as she ascends. If that cannot be done, then 

 look well among the deserted combs and the bees clustering in 

 the empty skep. The length of the body, as well as its 

 brighter color, should enable one to distinguish the royal 

 form, while it should be remembered that the queen's legs are 

 always of a reddish brown color, those of the workers being 

 much darker. 



