168 FORTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES. 



sure but it ought, but I must confess I have had no strong 

 proof of it come directly under my own observation. So 

 far as I could tell, these bees seemed to work just as 

 hard when their queen was taken away as before. In the 

 spring of 1885 one colony was, by some means, left en- 

 tirely away from the proper rows — some three rods from 

 any other colony. I took it away, put it in proper line, and 

 left to catch the returning stragglers a hive containing one 

 comb, this comb having no brood and very little if any 

 honey. This colony having been a very weak one, very 

 few bees returned to the old spot, but these few surprised 

 me by filling a good stock of honey in empty comb, before 

 they were put with the rest of the colony. 



Swarms treated on this "putting up" plan often 

 swarrried again, but if they did they were put up again. 

 An objection to the plan was that these "put-ups" were 

 in the way and had to be lifted down when anything was 

 done with supers. Still, for any one who allows the bees 

 to swarm, and who does not object to the lifting, the plan 

 is a good one. 



GIVING NUCLEUS TO SWARM. 



A plan that has seemed to be as satisfactory as any 

 other, although it is not always convenient to use it, is 

 upon the issuing of a swarm to pick up the queen so as 

 to have her out of the way, remove the old hive from the 

 stand and place on the stand a nucleus in a regular hive. 

 The supers are put upon this hive, and the swarm is left 

 to return at its leisure. This takes little time and trouble, 

 and there is no danger of further swarming. I have seen 

 it stated that when the swarm returns the queen of the 

 nucleus may be killed, but that does not occur "in this 

 locality." 



PREVENTION OF SWARMING. 



I don't quite like that heading. It may be under- 

 stood to mean that I am entirely successful in profitably 



