43 



Later combs or brood, or brood and young bees may be added 

 until colony has attained normal strength. Empty combs or 

 sheets of foundation may also be given. If bees are to be 

 treated in this way, care should be taken to gauge the size of 

 the entrance so as to prevent robbing. 



Artificial increase may be made in this way, or the colony 

 may be divided, as the swarming season approaches, into two 

 or three parts and allowed to raise their own queens being 

 sure that each nucleus has bees in all stages, — at least eggs and 

 young larva should be present. The general opinion is that 

 the queens produced in nuclei are not as satisfactory as those 

 raised in full colonies. 



The following is a copy of directions for introducing queens, 

 which will be found on the reverse side of address cards tacked 

 on all queen cages sent through the mails : 



" Before giving this queen to the colony be sure that it is 

 queenless. A stock without a queen from twelve to sixteen 

 days — long enough so it may have one or more virgins — may 

 not accept a new queen, and bees that have nearly started queen 

 cells sometimes refuse to accept a new queen. It is usually 

 best, therefore, not to remove the old queen until the time of 

 introducing the new one, but if several days have elapsed, be 

 sure to remove every queen cell. To introduce, place the cage 

 on top or between frames ; if on top put the wire cloth down 

 next to the bees. The bees should gnaw away the pasteboard, 

 eat out the candy left in the cage, and release the queen, but 

 sometimes they fail to gnaw the pasteboard. If they fail to 

 do so in twenty-four hours tear the pasteboard away and let 

 the bees out to eat candy. If the weather is cold, set the cage 

 right over the cluster of bees. Ordinarily, it is not best to 

 open the hive soon after introducing the queen, for the disturb- 

 ance may cause the bees to ball her. Should queen and attend- 

 ants arrive feeble, or daubed up, release at once among bees. 

 If they ball her after they clean her, return her to cage and 

 introduce her as exiplained. If she arrives dead, notify us and 

 we will replace. If your bees are or have been robbing, you 

 will not succeed in introducing. N. B. — Queens just from the 

 mails usually look small and dark. After laying a few days 

 they will improve." 



