222 A Modern Bee-Farm 



the brood nest is gradually reduced and the combs stored 

 for winter. 



Combined Swarming and Doubling^ without Increase. 



In my 1886 pamphlet, page 29, under "How to Control 

 Swarming," I described my method of avoiding increase, 

 while making swarms and securing immense populations, 

 thus : " Select any two strong colonies ... no matter 

 how far apart, remove from one all the brood combs but 

 two left in the centre with no queen cells ; give their own 

 queen and fill up with three frames, having guides only on 

 either side. Now return all the bees by shaking and 

 brushing from the combs, and also one-half of those bees 

 from the second colony. Close the hive, and on the 

 third day remove the old queen, and insert one of those 

 recently fertilised. Then put on supers of a capacity of 

 not less than 401b. at one time, with all sections /illed with 

 combs. As soon as the upper set is completed, remove, 

 and insert another in its place, though if the weather is 

 promising, the district good, and the season still young, it 

 would be much better to place the empty combs under 

 that crate remaining. ... If the apiarist is working with 

 such stocks as alone give a profit, a large super room 

 should be given at the start . . . but cramp them to 

 begin with, and they are cramped in every way to the end 

 of summer. 



"Returning to the second hive, which had been 

 deprived of half its bees, we place above them another 

 hive containing the remainder of the brood combs from 

 No. I, filling up with empty combs or starters on either 

 side. First arrange a hive with guides only at the bottom, 

 and proceed as previously mentioned for extracting. The 

 old queen in this case is not to be superseded until all 

 surplus has been removed, when the nucleus reserved for 



