MULTIPLYING SWARMS OF LIGURIANS.
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.
