98 BEES AND WASPS [OH. 



under a roof, or perhaps even to an empty hive: 

 there is evidence that in some cases their future home 

 has already been selected before the swarm breaks 

 up possibly before it has left the hive. Under the 

 usual conditions of domestication, however, the swarm 

 is "taken" by the bee-keeper, who may shake the 

 bees off into a straw "skep" or other receptacle which 

 is then placed inverted on a sheet laid on the ground 

 in some shady spot, one edge of the skep being slightly 

 raised to allow any disturbed bees to crawl in and 

 join their fellows ; or perhaps the branch to which 

 the bees are clinging may be .cut off and thus the 

 swarm conveyed away bodily to the hive intended 

 for it. The size and weight of a swarm vary very 

 much: a poor swarm may be no bigger than the 

 fist ; on the other hand I have taken a swarm which, 

 when held out, extended from my shoulder to my 

 ankle, and required the use of both hands to hold it 

 up. An average swarm is about the size of a foot- 

 ball, and weighs about 4 Ibs. The swarm is usually 

 housed in its permanent quarters during the evening 

 of the same day; a sheet is spread in front of and 

 leading up to the entrance of the new hive, and on 

 this the bees are thrown out from the "skep." They 

 very soon walk up into the proffered shelter. It is 

 astonishing to notice how quickly they become aware 

 that their "queen" has gone into the hive: on one 

 occasion a swarm that I was endeavouring to "hive" 



