SWAltStlNG. 171 



Return one-third or more of them, without any queen, 

 to one of the old stocks. They will immediately enter 

 without any contention, and issue again in about nine days, 

 or as soon as a young queen is matured to go with them. 

 There may be exceptional cases. I would recommend this 

 course in all cases of the kind, but they are apt to be 

 rather idle, even when they might labor in the boxes, and 

 there is often a loss of some eight or ten days. The col- 

 lections of a good swarm may be estimated at from one to 

 three pounds per day. A swarm that just fills the hive, 

 would gather, from ten to twenty-five pounds of box 

 honey, if it could have been located ten days earlier. 

 Still another plan may be adopted, when you have a very 

 small swarm that is not likely to fill the hive, and has not 

 been hived more than two or three days. 



Put one-third of your two swarms in with that, taking 

 care, as before, not to let your only queen go with them. 



The manner of doing it is very simple. Put them in a 

 hive as before directed, and jar them out in front of the 

 one you wish them to enter, or invert it, setting the other 

 over, and let them go up. 



Except on the day of swarming, care is necessary not to 

 introduce a small number with a large swarm, as they are 

 liable to be destroyed. The danger is much greater than 

 to put equal numbers together, or a large number with a 

 few. On the day that swarms issue, they will generally 

 mix peaceably, but in proportion as time intervenes be- 

 tween the issues, the liability to quarrel will increase. 

 Yet, I have united two families of about equal numbers in 

 the fall and spring, and with a few exceptions, have had 

 no difficulty. 



DIPPEKENT PROCESS WITH MOVABLE COMB HIVE. 



The foregoing remarks are for those who use the box 

 hive. But those using the movable combs will have less 



