BKQUISITES OF A GOOD HIVE. 107 



on natural swarming, and wishes to multiply his colonies as 

 fast as possible, to make vigorous stocks of all his small 

 after-swarms. 



Such swarms contain a young Queen, and if they can be 

 judiciously strengthened, usually make the best stock hives. 

 If hived in a common hive, and left to themselves, they sel- 

 dom thrive, unless they issued very early, or the season was 

 unusually favorable. They generally desert their hives, or 

 perish in the Winter. If they are small, they cannot be 

 made powerful, even by the most generous feeding. There 

 are too few bees to build comb, and take care of the eggs 

 which a healthy Queen can lay ; and when fed, they are 

 apt to fill with honey, the cells in which young bees ought 

 to be raised ; thus making the kindness of their owner serve 

 only to hasten their destruction. My hives enable me to 

 supply all such swarms at once with combs containing bee- 

 bread, honey and brood almost mature. They are thus 

 made strong, and flourish as well, nay, often better than the 

 first swarms which have an old Queen, whose fertility is 

 generally not so great as that of a young one. 



42. It should enable the Apiarian to multiply his colonies 

 with a certainty and rapidity which are entirely out of the 

 question, if he depends upon natural swarming. 



43. It should enable the Apiarian to supply destitute colo- 

 nies with the means of obtaining a new Queen. 



Every Apiarian would for this reason, if for no other, find 

 it to his advantage to possess, at least, one such hive. 



44. It should enable him to catch the Queen, for any pur- 

 pose ; especially to remove an old one whose fertility is im- 

 paired by age, that her place may be supplied with a young 

 one. 



45. While a good hive is adapted to the wants of those 

 who desire to enter upon bee-keeping on a large scale, or at 



