272 A Modern Bee-Farm 



Simmin's flethod of Nucleus Swarming.* 



On page 25, it will have been noticed that for supply- 

 ing all hives with young queens yearly, and to compensate 

 for the non-increase of stocks, one colony in ten is to be 

 devoted to increase by nuclei. In this case, the tenth 

 hives are to be stimulated for brood rearing until the end 

 of June, when there should be at least three chambers 

 nearly full of brood in all stages. However, to be within 

 limit, we will say twenty combs of brood and a number of 

 stored and partly-stored combs. 



The whole tier should now be shifted to a new loca- 

 tion, one storey at a time, and then give the swarm (made 

 as before) the eggs for queen-raising ; this time an upper 

 storey of combs or foundation is to be added, besides 

 filling up below, as the much larger number of bees will 

 probably store heavily. The moved stock will still have 

 sufficient bees to care for the brood, the extent of which 

 will now be immensely increased, as there are not enough 

 gatherers left to crowd the queen out, though before 

 shifting the hive the apiarist should have been able to 

 give the queen plenty of room by alternating brood combs 

 with foundation as the upper storeys were added, and ex- 

 tracting if necessary. 



On the ninth day after setting the eggs, make up a 

 nucleus with the queen (of the moved lot), this time stand- 

 ing the same by the queen-rearing swarm, to be united 

 after forming the nuclei from the stock combs in a manner 

 similar to that before mentioned, standing a nucleus b)- 

 each of the full hives working for honey, to be united to 

 them in the autumn. 



By waiting till the date named more than sufficient 

 nuclei can be made up, while the original queen will have 



*Simmins' Non-Swarming System, Feb., i8£6. 



