248 ARTIFICIAL SWAEMING. 



from worker-brood or from queen-cells given them, must be 

 well supjMed with honey, must have enough young bees to 

 keep the brood ivarm and to take care of it, and no comb- 

 building to do (228). 



One artificial swarm made at tlie opening of the honey 

 harvest, when the hive is full of brood, is better than two 

 swarms made at its close. 



When new colonies are made by purchasing queens 

 (601) with Sees ?)2/ J/iepoMwd (599), shipped from a dis- 

 tance (587), they should be hived on as many combs of 

 brood, taken from other hives, as they can well cover. If 

 full frames of foundation (674) are added, from time to 

 time, strong colonies may be built out of them, quite 

 readily. 



If the colonies are gathering much honey, when artificial 

 swarms are made, but little smoke (382) will be needed 

 in the operations. The frequent use of smoke makes the 

 queen leave the combs, for greater security. This often 

 causes great delay in the formation of artificial swarms by 

 removing the frames, and in operations where it is desira- 

 ble to catch the queen, or to examine her upon the comb. 



484. Artificial operations of all kinds are most successful 

 ■when bee-forage is abundant; when it is scarce, they are 

 quite precarious, even if the colonies are well supplied with 

 food. 



When bees are not busy in honey-gathering, they have 

 leisure to ascertain the condition of weak colonies, which 

 are almost certain to be robbed, if they are incautiously 

 opened. When forage is scarce, the Apiarist who does not 

 guard against robbing (664) will seriously impair the value 

 of his colonies, and entail upon himself much useless and 

 vexatious labor. Beware of demoralizing bees, by tempting 

 them to rob one another. 



485. During a good honey flow, bees from different hives 

 may be mixed without quarrelling, owing to their more peacea- 



