As at the beginning, the bees of the black race will be rather shy, caution must be had to clear the entire front of the bees of the native race, by putting them either higher or lower; by these means they will lose about as many people as would make a swarm which they would have had to give up all the same, and the ten new Italian hives will all profit by it, get strong, populous, and will thrive. For as soon as the bees, returning from the field, find no hive of their kind in the same front, they will at last become tame and enter quietly with the Italians. But if the bees coming from the field find only one hive of black bees in the same front, they will invariably go in the hive of their race left standing. It is hardly necessary to mention that the drone-wire must be sufficiently large to allow the queen to pass. On the third or fourth day before the young queen creeps out, all new hives are brought where the mother-hive, or the drones are kept for mating; or all the hives with black drones may be shut up by a wire until the mating is over. To make sure that the queen on her mating-excursions will find drones immediately, there are ways to stimulate the bees, that they will lead the drones out early in the morning; it is done by feeding the hive very early with thinned honey, which will cause the drones to undertake an early pleasure-trip on that day. If there be an opportunity to add to a new hive formed from eggs of queen-cells an Italian ripe drone-brood comb it is well to do so, for by so doing the purity of race is much insured. As said before, the great knack is, to be prepared with the proper number of drones. Many bee-cultivators make a great blunder in that respect, in cutting out the drone-cells, thinking that they are unnecessary eaters, but not considering that, _the fewer_ drones there are on a stand _the greater_ the danger of losing queens. For, natural enough, the queen flies out to mate and to find a drone, if she finds one immediately, she can return home directly and the hive is saved. But if the drones are scarce, and the queen cannot soon find a lover, she will delay her wedding-journey, or even go home again without having gained her object; and is, therefore, obliged to repeat her journeys. The oftener she flies out, and the longer she must remain out, the more the danger that she may be destroyed during her wedding-tour. This is well to be considered. Queens which I placed to mate on a distant stand, with but few drones were always impregnated from eight to ten days later than on the principal stand, where the drones flew in abundance. § 18. TRANSPORT OF QUEENS. If many queens are produced, they are principally bred for presents to other lovers of bees, or for sale to extend the race, and by the art to raise queens early it is in your power quickly to multiply a favourite race of bees. We will now give a few hints how queens can be sent to distances.