The simplest method of artificial increase is to lift from the populous colony a portion of the combs, with adhering bees, and place them in another hive near the parent colony, taking care that the part without any queen should have a majority of the bees and should be on the old stand. If a mature queen cell is at hand to give to this part a day or two after the division, the new colony will soon have a laying queen, should all go well. But this last point will need looking after ten days or so later. Should a laying queen be at hand to supply to the queenless portion of the divided colony, the queen found in the hive at the time of the division had better be left in that part of the colony which remains on the original stand, since the old bees will of course return to that spot and will not as readily receive a strange queen as will the removed portion of the colony which has parted with its flight bees. By introducing a laying queen when the division is made the deposition of eggs will be begun a week earlier than if a cell only should be given. At this season of the year this will make a difference of a good many thousands of workers, and will also prevent the bees from clogging the brood combs with honey, as they would if left without a laying queen for a week or more. The supers are to be placed on this part on the old stand, which, having most of the flight bees, will be far better able to store surplus than the other portion. The plan of making the division nearly equal is quite objectionable in case it is followed closely by the main honey flow of the season, for it places neither colony in the best condition for immediate storing. But if only a moderate yet continuous honey flow, followed by a larger yield, is to be anticipated, both parts will have time to become populous, and the equal division, if done in time--that is, before the "swarming fever" has taken hold of the colony--will be likely to prevent swarming. DRIVING OR BRUSHING. In case, however, some immediate work is expected of either part of the divided colony, it is preferable to make the division in such a way as to secure about all of the flight bees as well as most of the young bees, which will soon become flight bees, in the hive on the old stand. This may be done by shaking or brushing nearly all of the bees from the combs of the hive to be divided, or, if the latter is a box hive, the swarm may be driven into an empty box, as described under "Transferring," in Chapter VII, and then hived as an ordinary swarm, the parent colony receiving also the same treatment as described under "Natural swarming." THE NUCLEUS SYSTEM.