64 
ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. 
its queen-cells finished by the tenth or eleventh day, when all 
but one should be destroyed or used for dividing other stocks. 
If this is not attended to, a colony will often injure itself by 
swarming, 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 removed colonies should have their entrance! 
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. 
