Many of our best apiarists have practiced this clipping of the queen's wings for years. Yet, these queens show no diminution of vigor: we should suppose they would be even more vigorous, as useless organs are always nourished at the expense of the organism, and if entirely useless, are seldom long continued by nature. The ants set us an example in this matter, as they bite the wings off their queens, after mating has transpired. They mean that the queen ant shall remain at home _nolens volens_, and why shall not we require the same of the queen bee? Were it not for the necessity of swarming in nature, we should doubtless have been anticipated in this matter by nature herself. Still, if the queen essays to go with a swarm, and if the apiarist is not at hand, she will very likely be lost, never regaining the hive; but in this case the bees will be saved, as _they will_ return without fail. I always mean to be so watchful, keeping my hives shaded, giving ample room, and dividing or increasing, as to prevent natural swarming. But in lieu of such caution I see no objection to clipping the queen's wing, and would advise it. Some apiarists clip one primary wing the first year, the secondary the second year, the other primary the third, and if age of the queen permits, the remaining wing the fourth year. Yet, such data, with other matters of interest and importance, better be kept on a slate or card, and firmly attached to the hive, or else kept in a record, opposite the number of the hive. The time required to find the queen is sufficient argument against the "queen-wing record.". It is not an argument against the once clipping of the queen's wings, for, in the nucleus hives, queens are readily found, and even in full colonies this is not very difficult, especially if we heed the dictates of interest and keep Italians. It will be best, even though we have to look up black queens, in full colonies. The loss of one good colony, or the vexatious trouble of separating two or three swarms which had clustered together, would soon vanquish this argument of time.