is not to
be depended upon, especially when left in a hive full of combs, as the
following experiments tend to prove.

SOME EXPERIMENTS.

Several years since I had a few stocks well supplied with bees, and
every indication of swarming present, such as clustering out, &c., but
they pertinaciously adhered to the old stock, through the whole
swarming season! Others apparently not as well supplied with bees threw
off swarms. I had but few stocks, and was very anxious to increase the
number; but these were provokingly indifferent to my wishes. Taking the
assertions of these authors for facts, I reasoned thus: In all
probability there are eggs enough in each of those stocks. Why not
drive out a portion of the bees, with the old queen, and leave about as
many as if a swarm had issued? Those left will then raise a queen, and
continue the old stock, and I shall have six instead of the three, that
have been so obstinate. Accordingly, I divided each, examined and found
eggs and larvae. Of course all _must be right_. Now, thought I, my
stocks can be doubled at least annually. If they do not swarm, I can
drive them.

THE RESULT UNSATISFACTORY.

My swarms prospered, the old stocks seemed industrious, bringing in
pollen in abundance, which to me at _that_ time, was conclusive that
they had a queen, or soon would have. I continued to watch them with
much interest, but somehow, after a few weeks, there did not seem to be
quite as many bees; a few days later, I was quite _sure_ there was not.
I examined the combs, and behold there was not a cell containing a
young bee of any age, not even an egg in any one of these old stocks.
My visionary anticipations of future success speedily retrograded about
this time.

I had, it is true, my new swarms in condition to winter, although not
quite full; but the old ones were not, and nothing was gained. I had
some honey, a great deal of bee-bread and old black comb. Had I let
them alone, and put on boxes, I should have probably obtained
twenty-five or thirty pounds of pure honey from each, worth five times
as much as what I did get; besides, the old stocks, even with the old
comb, would have been better supplied with both honey and bees;
altogether much better, as stocks for wintering. Here was a
considerable loss, merely by not understanding the matter.

I carefully looked the bees over, and ascertained to a certainty that
neither of them had a queen. I smothered what few there was left i