46 * AN EASY METHOD 



difficult for the oldest queen to gain access to the cells, and 

 destroy all the minor queens in the drawer. 



When a drawer is removed to an empty hive, for the pur- 

 pose of obtaining an extra queen, but one hole to the entrance 

 of the hive should be left open. It should be placed some 

 distance from the apiary, the better to prevent its being rob- 

 bed by other swarms. When it is some distance from other 

 colonies, they are not so likely to learn its comparative 

 strength. There is but little danger, however, of its being 

 robbed, until after the bees are out of danger of losing their 

 queen, which generally occurs in the swarming season, or 

 soon after. 



The queen is sometimes lost, when she goes forth with a 

 swarm, in consequence of <leing heavily laden with eggs, and 

 too feeble to fly with her young colony ; in which case the 

 bees return to their parent Sjlibck in a few minutes." In fact, 

 all occurrences of this kin<f originate in the inability of the 

 queen. If she returns to the old stock, the swarm usually 

 comes out again the next day, if the weather is favorable. 

 If the queen is too feeble to return, and the apiarian neglects 

 to look her up, aad restore her to her colojjjrf again, (which 

 he ought to do,) the bees will net swarm ' agefin until they 

 have made anojjier, 05 are supplied, which may'be done im- 

 mediately by giving them any spare queen. 



The queen is sometimes lost, in consequence of the young 

 brood being too far advanced at the time of the departure of 

 the old queen with her swarm. She may become barren or 

 diseased, and die of old age, and all the grubs (larvoB) may 

 have advanced so far towards the perfect fly at the time of 

 her death, that their nature could not be changed to a queen 

 before the bees had become apprised of her true condition ; 

 or she may be lost at second swarming, as explained in 

 Chapter II ; or she may be lost by accident when she goes 



