THOUSAND ANSWERS 
259 
let a bee through, and for some time there will he passage for 
only one bee at a time. In the meantime the two lots of bees arc 
getting the same scent, ready to unite peaceably. At any rate, 
I’ve had one lot of bees killed when there was no paper between, 
and I’m not sure I ever had fighting when the paper was used. 
Q. I have 50 colonies of bees in dovetailed hives, and want to 
keep but 25, spring count. How and when can I double them up? 
what should I do to keep the frames of larvae and honey? And 
how may I keep the frames of comb during the winter? 
A. Better wait till next spring to unite. If you unite this fall, 
there may be some casualties in winter, and you would not then 
have your 25 in spring. Even if you are sure of no winter losses 
in your mild climate, there are advantages in waiting till spring. 
There will be no question about care of combs through the winter, 
and by doubling 50 full colonies in the spring you are likely to 
have 25 stronger colonies than if the doubling were done in the 
fall; and 25 very strong colonies will take no more care than 25 
weaker ones, and will store more surplus. 
Uniting Swarms. — Q. Is it better to unite two swarms and 
make one big swarm out of two? And will I get more honey 
from one big swarm than I would get from two small ones? 
A. You will be more likely to get more honey from uniting. 
In places where a strong flow continues very late, more honey 
may be had from the two kept separate. 
Q. I would like to know the best way to double swarms up. 
If they both come out the same day, or a day or two apart, should 
I put the old colony on top of the new swarm? Should 1 take 
the bottom out of the top hive, or how can I get them together? 
A. If they are only a day or two apart, the easiest way is to 
hive the second one in the same hive as the first, just as if the 
hive were empty. 
Q. When hiving two swarms should I sprinkle or smoke them 
to make them go in the entrance? 
A. If you dump them at the entrance they will enter of their 
own accord, without smoke or sprinkling. 
Q. What is the best way to unite a swarm direct from the 
tree with a weak colony? I have just shaken it in front of the 
hive, but many of the bees were killed at the entrance of the hive. 
A. Perhaps if you had shaken the bees off the combs at the 
entrance, so that the two lots of bees would run in together, there 
would have been less trouble. If one lot has an old queen and 
the other a virgin, they do not unite so well. 
