The nucleus colonies should consist of three combs and two quarts of bees. When ready to form them, place in one of the hives two combs containing honey and, in the centre, one containing brood, after which add the bees. Perhaps the better way would be to remove from a full colony a comb containing brood, together with the adhering bees, being careful of course not to take the queen with them. In such case there will be a sufficient number of bees on the comb to care for the brood; if not, a few more may be brushed from another comb into the hive. After the combs and bees have been placed in the hive, confine the latter to the hives for thirty-six hours and release them early on the morning of the third day. Do not remove the screen (with which they have been confined) from the entrance except just before dark or early in the morning; as, if released in the middle of the day, the bees would rush out and many would not return. After having been confined in the hive for thirty-six hours, the bees will have constructed several queen cells and when released will return to the new location. A matured queen cell may be given them at this time; or, when they have been queenless seventy-two hours, a virgin queen can be introduced safely. Before releasing the bees the nuclei should be placed some distance from the stands from which the bees were taken. While the bees are confined in the hives they should be supplied with water. For such purpose I find the cone feeder very useful. If the reader has studied the article in the May number in reference to the drone trap he is prepared to have his queens purely mated with any particular strain of drones in the apiary. _Wenham, Mass._ _A GUIDE TO THE BEST METHODS OF BEEKEEPING._ BY J. L. CHRIST. _R. F. Holterman, Translator._ (Continued from p. 90, Vol. III.) PERTAINING TO THE FINEST AND BEST COLONIES. It is a principle in beekeeping if one desires to derive a benefit from his bees, to see that one keeps very populous colonies. The mere number of colonies has nothing to do with amount of value; but their strength, the number of inhabitants in a hive, is the measure of its worth. One single populous colony is worth more and will store more honey than four weak ones. In fourteen days the one will bring in more honey than the four will in four weeks. I place a strong colony at 40,000 working bees; of these 13,000 to 16,000 can daily fly out and bring in stores; the remainder stay at home to care for the brood, to build comb, and to perform such other duties as may be required of them.[5] Of four weak colonies, however, each calculated at 12,000 workers, only 4,000 can fly out leaving 8,000 at home. These four colonies together not only cannot send to the fields as many workers as the one strong one, but they also labor under many disadvantages.