and its Economic Management. 123 



tion, as the larger number of bees will be here, and on the 

 evening of the following day, unite with them the nucleus having 

 a young queen, or insert the queen alone if the nucleus is again 

 required. 



Having their own queen, very few bees leave that portion 

 placed in another situation, and possessing the older brood the hive 

 will soon be crowded, when the outside sheets of foundation are 

 to be inserted one or two at a time in the centre of the brood 

 nest. The number of frames to be allowed for breeding will 

 depend upon the approach or return of the honey-flow, and it 

 may even be necessary to remove some of the least filled with 

 brood, where comb-honey is to be worked for, crowding the bees 

 on to 8 or 9 of the combs most densely packed with brood. I 

 have practised 



Contraction 



both in summer and winter for more than ten years past, but 

 with the institution of my non-swarming system it is found 

 unnecessary either for summer or winter. When increasing how- 

 ever, it is the only way to make the most of the honey harvest, 

 by thus curtailing the powers of the queen in less populous 

 colonies. Treatment for either comb or extracted honey with 

 divided stocks will be as before mentioned ; but where 



Natural Increase 



is allowed, the plan of proceeding will be somewhat different. 

 Constant care and attention is needed where swarming is allowed, 

 and if due precautions are not taken the prospects of a good 

 harvest are ruined. In the first place we will consider my own 

 method of 



Swarming without Increase. 



Where a swarm is not seen to issue, a glance around at the 

 entrances of the hives only should show the bee-keeper from 

 which it came. Hitherto all was life and activity, but look! 

 here is your hive with the entrance clear of bees, and but a few 



