nucleus 
629 
number of hives containing bees is a mis¬ 
take if honey is the object. But after the 
main honey flow, increase can be made by 
splitting up the colonies into units of two 
and three frames, supplying each with a 
cell, virgin, or laying queen. The process 
appears to be much simpler than it really 
is. The question often comes up in the 
mind of a beginner, “What can be easier 
than to take a ten-frame colony and divide 
it into five two-frame nuclei on as many 
hive-stands?” If the bees moved from the 
parent stand would stay where placed, the 
problem would be very much easier. Un¬ 
fortunately the old field bees, especially 
right after a honey flow, will go back to the 
parent stand, leaving nothing but the young 
bees to take care of the brood, which, 
in a great many cases, is neglected and 
dies. This is not all. Robbers, during a 
dearth, will be ready to invade the entrances 
of these deserted nuclei with just a few 
young bees; and before Mr. Beginner 
knows it he has a perfect uproar, and the 
loss of some thousands of bees, and per¬ 
haps trouble with the neighbors on account 
of robbers smelling around the entire 
neighborhood after they have wrought 
havoc with the nuclei. See Robbing, sub¬ 
head “Robbing of Nuclei.” 
If the beginner buys a colony of bees 
from some farmer or beekeeper two' or 
three miles away he can bring it home and 
make the divisions before the bees mark 
their location, and the bees of each nucleus 
will stay where they are placed. This will 
effect an equal division, and everything will 
be easy, provided, of course, that the en¬ 
trances are contracted and the beginner 
uses ordinary caution. At the time the 
nuclei are formed, each should be supplied 
with a cell, virgin, or a laying queen. If 
it is desired to make increase rapidly, the 
nuclei will make greater progress when 
supplied with laying queens. If it is de : 
sired to let each nucleus raise its own 
queen, precaution should be taken to see 
that eggs or very young larva? are in each 
nucleus; but it should be understood that 
the progress will be very much slower, and 
that queens reared in nuclei are never the 
equal of those reared in strong colonies. 
In many cases the colony.or colonies to 
be divided have grown so strong the bee¬ 
keeper desires to make increase and to 
keep down swarming at the same time. 
How shall he do it and avoid having many 
bees going back? This can be accomplished 
after forming the nuclei by putting wire 
cloth over the entrances, and keeping them 
closed for three or four days. In the mean 
time, if the nuclei are not already shaded 
and the weather is hot it would be well to 
put a shade-board over the hives to prevent 
any danger of suffocation. At the end of 
the third or fourth day the wire cloth can 
be removed. This shutting-in practice for 
strong nuclei is not advised. 
Usually it is better not to make too great 
a division after the first of July or August. 
If the beginner splits his colonies up into 
halves, the problem will be very much sim¬ 
pler. In the morning he should remove 
about two-thirds of the bees, all sealed 
brood, or as much as possible, and the old 
queen, to the new location, leaving the un¬ 
sealed brood and about a third of the bees 
on the old stand. The latter should be given 
a cell or virgin. Most of the flying bees will 
return to the old home, making the divi¬ 
sion somewhere near equal, with the 
chances that the old hive will have the lar¬ 
ger force of bees in 24 hours. But the 
split-off, or nucleus, on the other stand, 
will have all the sealed brood and emerg¬ 
ing brood, and will soon be more than able 
to match forces with the other colony. The 
old queen, which will act as an attraction 
to hold the bees in the parent colony, will 
soon supply it with eggs and young larvae 
as fast as the bees can take care of it or 
as fast as the brood emerges. 
In a similar way three colonies can be 
made out of one; but most of the sealed 
brood and most of the bees should be given 
to the nuclei on new stands, always keeping 
in mind that most of the flying bees will 
return to the old stand. If, however, the 
entrances are kept closed for three or four 
days there will not be so much returning. 
Of course, the nucleus on the old stand will 
not need to have its entrance closed. If it 
is discovered that one of the nuclei, or both 
of them, are short of bees, a frame or two 
of bees from some other colony can be 
shaken at night in front of the entrances 
of the nuclei on new stands. When doing 
this, it may be advisable to cage the queen 
for a day or two. 
If the nuclei are formed immediately 
