188 lORTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES. 



If the plan would always work as well as it did the 

 first two years, I could hardly ask for anything better. 

 Further trial will prove whether the exceptions of 1902 

 are to be repeated. 



WORKING TOWARD NON-SWARMING. 



Of course it is no little work to go through the 

 colonies every ten days up to the time of treatment, and 

 I think it likely that it would work all right to treat 

 every colony on the foundation plan early in the honey- 

 flow, whether they had grubs in queen-cells or not. But 

 there are some colonies that will go through the whole 

 season with never a grub in a queen-cell — possibly never 

 an egg — and exactly those colonies are the ones most 

 likely to give record-yields. To interfere with their 

 work, even for a week in a slight degree, is not desirable. 

 There is also another important reason for allowing 

 every colony willing to do so to go through the whole 

 season without any preparation for swarming and with- 

 out any interference. I am trying all the time to work 

 at least a little toward a non-swarming strain of bees, 

 and if all colonies were treated on the foundation plan, 

 how would I know which were the non-swarmers from 

 which to choose my breeding stock? Their careful rec- 

 ord must be kept. 



SUPPLANTING UNDESIRABLE QUEENS. 



Not every colony, however, that threatens to swarm, 

 is treated by the foundation plan. If a colony that other- 

 wise would receive the foundation treatment has a queen 

 whose workers have the reputation of being very poor 

 storers, if they are vicious in disposition, or if there be 

 any reason why it is not desirable for the queen to be con- 

 tinued in office, the contemplation of swarming on the 



