LOSS OF QUEENS. 203 



ing-queens are kept on hand, uo one need be told to intro- 

 duce such a one at once. 



MAKE BATE OF SWARM. 



Should the apiary contain so many stocks that it is diiE- 

 cult to remember the date of each swarm, it is a good plan 

 to mark it on One side or corner of the hive, as the swarms 

 issue. It will thus be easy to tell where to look for a cell. 



OTHER REMEDIES. 



It will sometimes happen that a queen is lost at the ex- 

 treme end of the swarming season, when no stock contains 

 such cells, and no queen is at hand. In such a case, it is 

 often economy to take a queen from the most inferior stock 

 on hand, and sacrifice it to save the queenless one. If no 

 poor colony is at hand, drive the bees out of one of the 

 best, secure the queen, and return the bees. They will 

 raise another, and the damage will be less than to lose the 

 queenless stock. The strong one will recover, but the 

 other needs a queen, at once, and cannot afford to take 

 time to raise one. Therefore I would recommend intro- 

 ducing a mature queen whenever it is practicable. When 

 all the brood in the combs is hatched, and the bees are 

 obliged to commence with an egg to raise a queen, there 

 can be no young bees added to the colony short of six 

 weeks, by which time, most such would be beyond recov- 

 ery. Sometimes after all our efforts, a few stocks will re- 

 main destitute of queens. These, if they escape the worms, 

 will generally store honey enough, in this section, to winter 

 a good colony. This must be introduced of course, from 

 another hive containing a queen, but this belongs to Fall 

 Management. 



INDICATIONS OF LOSS IN EABLY SPBING. 



Occasionally, a queen is lost, at other than the swarming 

 season, averaging .ibout one in forty cases. It is most fre> 



