Perhaps the safest plan, considering that the yield, even when one is acquainted with the flora, can not be foretold, is to follow the plan of making nuclei, and, as soon as these have laying queens, building them up gradually to full colonies by adding frames of brood, frames filled with worker comb, or with comb foundation, or merely starters, as may seem best. This system, besides being safe, has certain other advantages. It leaves the parent hives strong for the working season, yet tends to discourage swarming, because whenever colonies become overcrowded, and before they have contracted the swarming fever, one or more brood combs are removed and the colony is thus induced to continue work in the brood chamber to fill the empty space, while, of course, they are kept supplied with plenty of storage room above for surplus honey. Furthermore, it is easy to exchange the young queen of the nucleus, as soon as she commences laying, with the queen of the full colony. If the nucleus has been started early, the full colony will thus secure a queen of the current season's raising sufficiently early to reduce greatly the probability of its wanting to swarm that year, even though permitted to get very strong, as it is almost certain to do under such circumstances. These nuclei build straight combs and may be relied on to build, even without foundation, worker comb only. On the whole, a rational method of artificial increase is preferable to natural swarming; but experience and judgment in carrying it out are required to make it advantageous. It should be cautiously undertaken by the beginner, and the main reliance placed upon natural swarming until the bee keeper is familiar with the bees' way. PREVENTION OF SWARMING.