It should always be looked to that the queen is first impregnated before taken from her own people to be given to another, because, unimpregnated queens are more exposed to the danger of being killed than already impregnated ones, when the bees are assured of her having descendants. § 14. PARTICULAR RULES. To cause a sufficient supply of Italian drones care must be taken that the hives with Italian mothers are always well provided with drone-combs, which will cause the queen, when they are placed in the middle of the breeding-layers, to put in more drone-brood; the more so by continual feeding with liquid honey. The continuous feeding, with proper strength of people is the most effective way for the production of drones. By insertion of ripe breeding-combs near upon running out a hive can be most effectively and quickly strengthened. Further, it must be remarked that, as the Italian bees build _larger cells_ than the black bees, it is well to give the Italians opportunity to begin building anew. It is to be supposed that those who have decided to introduce a strange race of bees, Italians, must have some knowledge of bee-cultivation, and must also possess bees of their own native race; for one who has no idea at all of the higher branches of bee-cultivation, for him to introduce a strange race would be money thrown away; such an one would do better to try his experiments on common bees until he is well practised. Those who do not particularly care to change all their hives into pure Italians can add the Italian queen-cells in a box to the black bees, and can abandon the queen creeping out to her destiny, as to which drone she will mate with. Although not many Italians are by those means gained in the first years, there will be plenty of bastards, and for the second year a very good foundation for Italianizing, because the stock is already Italian, and the Italian element preponderates. Care must be taken to mark the _original mother_ well, and only to obtain posterity _through her_. § 15. THE AUTUMN CULTURE For queens it is only so far applicable, as the period must be waited for when the black drones are killed, and care has been taken to reserve only Italian drones, which is done by depriving some Italian hives of their queens, and also of their queen-cells, so that they cannot breed any more queens. These bees will not kill their drones. By abundant feeding bees can be induced, even in the late autumn, to breed drones and to suffer them. When the drones are driven out of a hive they must be put, with some honey, into a box supplied with a wire-grating, and placed in a hive deprived of its queen. After a few days they are let loose and will then soon get used to the queenless bees. They may also be put into the top of a hive with a queen, but then, they must be kept shut in until wanted for use. § 16. IN THE EARLY SPRING