190 AETIFICIAL SWAEjrS. 



If there is plenty of room, the two hives ean be sot each 

 side of the old stand, about one foot from it. As this 

 should be performed in the middle of the day, you should 

 set an empty hive, resembling the old one, on the stand, 

 to catch the bees returning from work during the opera- 

 tion. After the hives are in their proper places, the bees 

 in this temporary hive should be shaken out before them. 

 The hive that receives the most of the returning bees 

 should be set a little farther from the old stand, and the 

 other a little nearer, until they enter in equal numbers, or 

 this method may be adopted. When the hive to be divid- 

 ed was set so far from all others in the sj)ring, that return- 

 ing bees will not enter neighboring hives, you may leave 

 the old hive on its own stand, and place a new one for the 

 swarm, three feet from it, on one side. When the bees 

 are divided, put the old hive in the cellar for a few days, 

 until all the bees belonging to the new hive have become 

 habituated to it, when the old hive may be returned to its 

 own stand, and all the bees that are in it, will of course 

 adhere. 



nsTnODUCLNG QUEEN-CELL. 



Before you turn over the old stock, look as far as possi- 

 ble among the combs, for queen-cells ; if any contain 

 larvae, you may leave them to rear a queen ; but if other- 

 wise, wait twenty-four hours, and then go to a stock that 

 has cast a swarm, or to one of the little queen-boxes and 

 obtain a finished royal cell, and introduce it. When there 

 are young queens in the cells at the time of driving, after- 

 swarms may issue. Should a queen-cell be introduced im- 

 mediately, it is more liable to be destroyed than after an 

 interval of twenty-four hours, and even then, it is not 

 always safe. After it has had time to hatch, which is not 

 far from eight days after being sealed, cut it out, and ex- 

 amine it : if the lower end is open, it indicates that a per- 



