Presuming that the Ligurian queens are in bar hives, and that they
prove themselves fairly prolific mothers, let a number of similar bar
hives be provided, and into each of these, from time to time, during
the course of the summer, let there be carefully transferred from the
Ligurian stock a bar with comb attached, containing eggs and young Bees
in every stage of progress.
It would be well that every full-grown Bee should be previously swept
off this comb back into the old hive, so as to prevent all danger of
fighting between them and the Bees of the other stocks to which the
comb is to be given. Then, in the middle of a warm and sunny day,
when the Bees are chiefly abroad, let this comb, carefully fixed in
an empty bar hive, be put in the place of any strong stock of common
Bees that may be available for the purpose. This stock may be removed
to some distance; but it would be well first so to disturb it as to
cause a good many more of the Bees to leave it than might happen to
be foraging in the fields; and, moreover to stop up its entrance till
the evening. The ether Bees would soon take possession of the empty
bar hive, and in three weeks' time replace their missing English queen
with a young artificially-reared Ligurian queen, whose progeny would,
in due course of time, become the sole possessors of the hive. The
English stocks chosen for this purpose must be in the same, or in a
very closely-adjoining apiary, otherwise the absence of Ligurian drones
at the proper season would prove fatal to the success of this plan of
increase.
One Ligurian stock losing one bar only, from time to time, might in
this manner become the parent of a dozen stocks at least in the same
season; and the earliest of the young swarms (say those formed in
May), might also, in a warm spring, be made productive of two or three
swarms in the same manner, without becoming too much weakened. Indeed,
two bars may be taken every week out of the Ligurian stock during the
months of May, June, and July; and these swarms, artificially formed,
in the manner above detailed, may be worked during at least a whole
month, from the middle of June to the middle of July.
One good Ligurian stock should be left pretty much to itself, so as to
encourage the propagation of drones. Still, even this stock might be
made to yield a few bars without in the least rendering the development
of drones; but no bars should be taken out till a fair number have been
seen abroad. Perhaps the best plan would be to make a swarm out of this
hive in the same artificial manner, so soon as many drones are hatched.
For drones which join swarms are generally (perhaps always) allowed
to remain alive till late in the season, whereas the earliest-hatched
drones are frequently destroyed in cold springs in their own hives.
[Illustration]