VARIOUS METHODS. 247 



while a queen, with an abundance of worker-comb and 

 bees, may, in a single season, become the parent of a num- 

 ber of prosperous families, if her colony, at the beginning 

 of the swarming season, is divided into three or four parts, 

 not one of them will ordinarily acquire stores enough to 

 survive the Winter. 



The practical bee-keeper should remember that no drone- 

 comb is built when the queen is with the builders (229), 

 and that the less increase he takes, from the colonies on 

 which he relies for surplus-honey, the better. 



482. With the movable-frame hive, and the improved 

 sj'stem, the Apiarist, by raising his queens or queen-cells 

 (514) previously {and this is very important') can take the 

 increase that he wishes to make, from colonies that would 

 have produced little, if any, surplus, and preserve his best col- 

 onies for honey production. Let it not be understood by 

 this, that we advise taking the increase from weak colonies. 

 In every Apiary, there are some colonies, which, though of 

 fair strength, do not become populous in time to harvest 

 more than their supply. Such colonies can furnish good 

 swarms, with but little help, owing to the fact that the 

 greater number of their bees raised during the harvest, 

 instead of before it, are too young to go to the field (162). 



If our method is followed, the colonies, which have been 

 kept for honey production, can furnish help, if necessary, 

 towards the end of the season, for those of the artificial 

 swarms that need it. 



To the prudent Apiarist, they are as a reserve body of 

 select troops to the skillful general, a timely help, in an 

 emergency. 



Remember that populous colonies, that are raising queen- 

 cells, during the early part of a good honey harvest, are 

 strongly inclined to swarm when the young queens hatch. 

 (465.) 



483. The colonies that are raising young queens, either 



