72 THE BOOK OF BEE-KEEPING. 



drive a skep for anyone who wishes to take the honey, and unite 

 these driven bees to the queenless colony. Always examine a 

 colony eleven or twelve days after the issue of a swarm, to see 

 that it is not queenless. 



122. Qneen-rearin^. — If the queen is old and unprolific the 

 colony must dwindle, as the number of eg^s laid is not in pro- 

 portion to the natural decay of its numerous members. A prolific 

 queen, in early summer, will lay so many eggs that the stock 

 will become over-populous ; this is just what the bee-keeper wants, 

 as. by enlarging the hive just at that time, he has a number of 

 willing workers ready to carry in the harvest awaiting for them 

 in the pastures. But if an unprolific queen is in the hive, 

 instead of increasing in numbers as the harvest time advances, 

 the bees, by their indefatigable industry in endeavouring to 

 bring in as much as they possibly can, dwindle gradually away 

 by the extra exertions imposed upon themselves, and get less 

 and less in numbers. As the colony gets smaller and smaller its 

 members, in proportion, relax in their efforts and quickly lose 

 heart, becoming an encumbrance in the apiary instead of a use. 

 Presuming that such a queen is unprolific from some physical 

 failing and not from old age, it would be most unwise to remove 

 her and allow the colony to raise another from eggs laid by 

 this one, as her failings would, without doubt, be perpetuated in 

 after generations ; it therefore becomes incumbent upon the 

 bee-keeper to rear queens from specially-selected mothers that 

 have shown their superiority in the apiary. Too much emphasis 

 cannot be laid upon the fact that it is also of the utmost import- 

 ance that all drones should be reared from mothers showing a 

 marked superiority. 



When a swarm issues from a hive the colony remains mother- 

 less for a period sometimes extending to three weeks, and, in 

 the case of a queen dying, to a period not less than three weeks ; 

 here is seen the utility of the apiarist having a supply of queens 

 ready at any moment to introduce to a colony that has lost its 

 queen, as then the prosperity of the hive is not hindered by 

 any cessation of egg-laying which must take place if there is 

 no queen. Swarming usually taking place just as the honey- 

 flow sets in, a diminution in the numbers of a colony means an 

 equal falling off in the amount of honey brought into the hive. 



Then, again, in rearing queens it is desirable to mate them with 

 selected drones; but this, owing to the peculiar nature of their 

 fertilisation, is a very difficult matter. Under ordinary circum- 

 stances the selection of drones is not of so much importance, owing 

 to the fact that a colony, before rearing them, is sure to be in 

 a prosperous condition. A poor colony, in a normal condition, 

 will rarely rear drones, thus reducing the chances of any virgin 

 queen being mated with the produce of an inferior queen. 



