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An Experiment

Categories: FALL MANAGEMENT.
Bee Keeping: Mysteries Of Bee-keeping Explained

Notwithstanding all this, I cannot recommend making a _good_ stock

better by adding the bees from another good one as a source of profit.

I tried it a few times. I had purchased some large hives for market,

and wished to dispose of the bees without sulphur, and try the

experiment of uniting two or more. The next spring when they commenced

work such double stocks promised much; but when the swarming season

arrived, the
ingle swarms, such as were good and had just about bees

enough, were in the best condition, in ordinary seasons. Whether this

was owing to the circumstance of there being already bees enough that

were beginning to crowd and interfere with each other's labors, and

less brood raised in consequence, or to some other reason, I cannot

say. I have often noticed, (as others have), that stocks which have

cast no swarms, are no better the next spring than others. The same

cause might operate in both cases. Therefore it would appear

unnecessary to unite two or more _good swarms_, unless it is to spare

our feelings in destroying the bees. The two extremes may generally be

avoided, and not have too many or too few bees.



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