Experience is a good teacher, but often a very costly one. Some told me if I wished to prevent swarming, I must cut out the queen cells, which the bees constructed preparatory to swarming. This was simply impossible, with the box hive, sol constructed a hive with movable frames, so the bees, could build their combs in the frames, and each comb of the hive could be lifted out separately. But when I attempted to prevent swarming by cutting out the queen cells, I found if T was to thwart nature in that way, I had, to say the least, a big job on my hands. I could cut out the queen cells, but within twenty-four hours after I had done this, the bees would have others constructed, and be ready to swarm, and as I kept cutting, they would keep building. They had the advantage of numbers and position, and when I opened the hive _every day_ and destroyed such, to them, important work, they were not long in declaring and proclaiming me to be an enemy to them, and they would attack me whenever occasion offered. I soon found that if not _impossible_ it was certainly _impracticable_ to prevent bees swarming by cutting out the queen cells. It was a surprise to me that this plan should be recommended by bee keepers claiming to be well skilled in bee management. After proving this plan of no value, I was told if I would contract the entrance to my hives so the queen could not pass, I could thereby successfully prevent swarming, as the swarm would not leave without the queen. This looked to me like a very _nice_ operation, to say the least, in fact, _more nice than wise_. However, I determined to test the plan. I accordingly contracted the entrance to my hives, and lo! the _drones_ being larger than the queen _they could not pass!_ so they clustered about the entrance, and in their efforts to get out, completely blocked up the passage, so the workers could not pass. Yet this plan of contracting the entrance was claimed to be protected by _letters patent of the U. S._ I found this plan for preventing swarming of no value whatever. Very many other plans were tendered me and tested with like results. I was all this time pushing my experiments, and learning something from experience every day. I was determined to arrange and construct a hive which would render bee keeping successful and profitable, and I can say at the present time, my labors have been rewarded with success.