ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. ' 225 



when forage is abundant near his own hives, the operation 

 will be almost sure to succeed. Of all modes of forming 

 the nuclei, this I believe will be found to be the neatest, 

 simplest, surest and best. 



Having thus described the methods by which I form my 

 nuclei, I shall now show how they may be built up into 

 powerful stocks. Il will be very obvious, that on the ordi- 

 nary plan of management, they would be absolutely worth- 

 less, even if it were possible to form them with ihe common 

 hives. If they were not fed, being unable to collect the 

 means of building new comb, they would gradually dwindle 

 away, like third or fourth swarms which issue late in the 

 season ; nor could they be saved, even by the most generous 

 feeding, since they would only use their supplies to fill up 

 the little comb they had ; so that when the queen was ready 

 to lay, there would be no empty cells to receive her eggs, 

 and too few bees to build any, even if they had all the honey 

 that they required. Such small colonies must gradually 

 waste away, unless they can be speedily and effectually 

 supplied with the requisite number of bees, and this can be 

 successfully done, only by hives which give the control of all 

 the combs. With such hives, I can speedily build up my 

 nuclei, (unless I have too many,) to the strength necessary to 

 make them powerful stocks. 



The hives containing these miniature swarms, ought, if 

 possible, to stand at some considerable distance from other 

 hives ; and if this cannot be conveniently done, they should 

 in some way, be so distinguished from the adjoining hives, 

 that the young queens when they are hatched, and go out to 

 seek the drones, will not be liable, on their return, to lose 

 their lives, by entering a wrong hive. A small leafy twig, 

 fastened on the front of such hives, when they stand near to 

 others, will be almost sure to prevent such a catastrophe : 



