100 ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. 



its queen-cells finished by the tenth or eleventh day, when all 

 but one snouid be destroyed or used for dividing other stocks. 

 If this is not attended to, a colony will often injure itself by 

 swarmmg, although it may have but two or three quarts of bees. 

 All colonies raising queens should be carefully examined in 

 about twenty-five days from the time of dividing, or if finished 

 queen-cells were given them, in fifteen days, to see that they 

 have a fertile queen, and if no eggs can be found in the combs 

 the presumption is that some accident has happened the queen. 

 If a nucleus, containing a fertile queen is at hand, introduce her. 

 If neither queen nor queen-cell can be had, give the colony a 

 comb of brood and eggs taken from a hive that has a fertile 

 queen. This will not only enable them to rear a queen, but the 

 maturing brood will materially strengthen the swarm. "When 

 dividing, care must be taken in all cases to place the combs 

 containing brood or eggs, compactly together, that the bees may 

 be able to cover them and prevent chilling the brood. By 

 inserting a frame or two of empty comb in each new colony, the 

 brood may be enclosed in smaller space and the heat economized. 

 Queenless or removeJ colonies should have their entrances 

 contracted for a few days to exclude both the cool air and 

 inquisitive robber bees. In all these methods, as in natural 

 swarming, we are liable to have queenless colonies by the loss 

 of young queens, when making their excursions to meet the 

 drones. Beside, a colony will do little while rearing a queen, 

 which consumes much time, usually in the height of honey gath- 

 ering. Hence, perfection will not be reached short of intro- 

 ducing a fertile queen at the time of swarming. 



