HOW TO KEEP BEES. 33 



times get uneasy and " swarm out." As soon as they have settled 

 down to work again the guard should be removed. The drones 

 are kept out so as to avoid one disturbing element (as they are such 

 when confined) and also to keep them from choking the entrance in 

 their efforts to get out while the guard is on. 



Forced swarming is profitably followed when treating colonies 

 afHicted with any of the contagious diseases, except that the combs 

 taken away are not later shaken before the " swarm " for if they were, 

 re-infection would be certain. 



REARING QUEENS. 



Every beekeeper should raise his own queens and not depend upon 

 the commercial queen breeders for anything but a new queen for 

 breeding purposes. 



The easiest way to secure a few young queens is to divide the combs 

 of a colony that has swarmed into lots of twos or threes, seeing that 

 each lot has one or more queen cells. Place these combs in empty 

 hives, reduce the entrance so but one or two bees can pass, and place 

 the hives away from the large colonies, if convenient. In due time 

 the young queens will hatch and mate and ma}' then be used as 

 desired. 



Another simple way is to take a comb, ijreferably not a very old 

 one, put it in the middle of the colony from the queen of which it is 

 desired to raise new queens and five days later remove it. It will be 

 found to be filled with eggs and very small larvae. With a knife slice 

 off a couple of inches or more from the lower part of the comb. This 

 is to give the bees a better opportunity to build cells and also they 

 will be built in a more convenient place for the beekeeper. 



Place this comb with its adhering bees, but without the queen, 

 in an empty hive and on each side of it place a comb containing 

 honey and pollen. Also give water in a division-board feeder or by a 

 sponge. Now shake into this hive all the bees from two frames taken 

 from the center of the same or of another good colon}^, being sure not 

 to get the queen. Close the hive entrance with wire cloth and put 



