98 ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. 



bive. Fill the vacancies in both hives with the empty frames, 

 and place the one with the queen and two combs upon the old 

 stand, as enough bees will return to it from the one on the new 

 stand to make the colonies about equal. But if the queen is not 

 found while shaking off the bees, place the two combs (cne ol 

 them containing eggs and young larvse) in the old hive and put 

 in the empty frames. By this time most of the old bees will 

 probably have entered. "When there are but three or four 

 quarts left upon the sheet, place the old hive upon its own stand 

 and let the young bees enter the new hive by making them 

 travel, thinly, a considerable distance over the sheet, that you 

 may find the queen, should she happen to be among them, and 

 return her to the old hive. Contract the entrance of the new 

 bive, which may now be placed in any desired location. 



Another way of making new swarms where there are several 

 stocks in movable-comb hives, is to select four stocks and take 

 two combs from each. Brush back all the bees into their own 

 hives, that no stock be robbed of its queen. Fill the vacancies 

 in each hive with empty frames, placing them near the centre, 

 where they will be quickly filled. Place the removed combs 

 together in an empty hive. Remove a strong stock (in any kind 

 of hive) when the fcees are flying briskly, and place the hive 

 containing the combs on its stand. If the strong stock were 

 taken a rod or two away, near the middle of the day in good 

 honey gathering weather, enough bees will return to the old 

 stand to make the swarm. Contract the entrance to both hives 

 for a day or two. This method has some advantages, for as each 

 old stock loses but one or two combs at a time, a new swarm 



