CONTROLLED INCREASE 
27 
changing places with a strong stock, and receiving 
combs of brood, or some similar device, is built up 
to full strength. I cannot agree with those who 
describe this plan as “by far the best system.’’ 
It is one of the best, but no more. Nuclei should 
frequently be in course of building up soon after their 
creation ; and so complete is the mastery we now 
have over queen-introduction, that it is often much 
more economical in time, to remove the queen when 
ready to be utilised, under one of the plans previously 
sketched, and then to give another queen-cell. The 
nucleus, aided by one or two frames of eggs, will 
be of full strength by the time the second queen is 
laying, and thus ranks as a stock without further dis- 
turbance. The full discussion of this question would 
be premature : it must now be left to be treated under 
“ Queen-raising,” to which the reader is referred. 
Typical plans are now before us, which need no 
extension, although they may be varied almost ad 
infinitum^ the intelligent bee-keeper constantly finding 
some specialty Inviting a departure from stereo- 
typed courses ; but If tempted to experiment, let us 
remember that artificial swarming will not be suc- 
cessful unless it conform to all the conditions made 
necessary by the instincts and economy of the bee. 
The earlier worthies, in ignorance of some of these, 
were landed in discomfiture — i.e.^ Huber (p. 45) 
divided his colonies into two, one of which was neces- 
sarily left in an orphan condition ; he then gave, to 
each half, vacant frames, in which to build comb 
equal in amount to that which had been removed. 
As it is an Instinct of the bee to build drone-comb 
