150 BEES AND BEE-KEEPING. 



able number of artificial swarms, divide one of your 

 strong colonies, make an equal division of bees, 

 combs, honey and brood ; this we call a preliminary 

 division. Place an empty frame or two next to those 

 containing the comb ; take a piece of clean cloth 

 (common brown sheeting muslin is as good as any), 

 and cut or tear it in pieces thirteen inches wide by 

 about twenty-seven long, put this over the top of the 

 frames, and suspend it over or down outside of the 

 empty frame until it reaches the bottom board; this 

 preserves the heat, which is very essential, and con- 

 denses the space to correspond with the size of the 

 colony. Care should be taken in all cases to put the 

 combs containing eggs or brood together in the 

 centre of the colony, to prevent its getting chilled. 

 Let the bees adhere to the combs just as they are 

 lifted from the hive. When the division is com- 

 pleted, if convenient, close up one of the new colonies 

 and take it half a mile or a mile distant to a neigh- 

 bor's house, or some suitable place ; by so doing, all 

 the old worker bees remain in each colony, just as 

 when first divided. The one destitute of a queen 

 will soon set to work to rear queens to supply their 

 loss, as has been described. So long as they have the 

 means of supplying themselves with a queen, they 

 will work away, apparently as contented and happy as 

 if they were in possession of one ; but during the 

 time they are destitute they invariably build drone 

 comb, if they build any. 



When it is not convenient to remove one of the 

 colonies to a distance, as has just been stated, shift 



