170 A Modern Bee-Farm 



with empty combs or foundation on either side of the same. 

 The brood combs remaining on the old stand are to be alter- 

 nated with foundation, as the larger number of bees will be 

 here, and on the evening of the third day following, unite with 

 them the nucleus having a young queen, or insert the queen 

 alone if the nucleus is again required. The reason for waiting 

 three days in this case is solely because of the bees returning 

 from the removed portion which may not always be friendly to 

 the queen which they know is not the one they have just left. 

 Having their own queen, there are not so many bees leave 

 that portion placed in another situation, and possessing the 

 older brood the hive will soon be crowded, when the outside 

 sheets of foundation are to be inserted one or two at a time in 

 the centre of the brood nest. The number of frames to be 

 allowed for breeding will depend upon the approach or return 

 of the honey-flow, and it may even be necessary to remove 

 some of the least filled with brood, where comb-honey is to be 

 worked for, crowding the bees on to eight or nine of the combs 

 most densely packed with brood. I formerly practised 



Contraction 



both in summer and winter, but with the institution of my 

 non-swarming system it is found unnecessary either for sum- 

 mer or winter. When increasing, however, it is the only way 

 to make the most of the honey harvest, by thus curtaiUng the 

 powers of the queen in less populous colonies. Treatment for 

 either comb or extracted honey with divided 'stocks will be as 

 before mentioned ; but where 



Natural Increase 



is permitted, the plan of proceeding will be somewhat different. 

 Constant care and attention is needed where swarming is 

 allowed, and if due precautions are not taken the prospects of 

 a good harvest are ruined. In the first place we will consider 

 my own method of 



