62 
ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. 
hive. 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 (one of 
them containing eggs and young larvas) 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 
hive, 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 bees 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 
