vn] THE SOCIAL-BEES 97 



circumstances, the "queen' which emigrates with 

 the swarm is the reigning and therefore impregnated 

 "queen" of the hive from which the excited throng 

 issues. The phenomenon usually occurs on a warm 

 sultry day in May or June ; the bees pour forth from 

 the hive in a living torrent and quickly fly up into 

 the air where they wheel around in such numbers as 

 to cause a small cloud, all the while buzzing in a tone 

 that is quite characteristic of swarming to the ears of 

 the bee-keeper. After a longer or shorter period 

 they begin to gather in a dense cluster on a neigh- 

 bouring branch or twig upon which their "queen" 

 has already settled: "settling" may be accelerated 

 by spraying the flying bees with water discharged 

 from a fine syringe, or by throwing handfuls of dust 

 up among them. Previously to swarming the bees 

 have consumed large quantities of honey, so that 

 each of the workers is more or less gorged, and is 

 capable of existing thus without further food for a 

 considerable time: they are also very loth to use 

 their stings when swarming, and, so far as my own 

 experience extends, the sting if used is comparatively 

 innocuous : hence a swarm, once settled, may hang on 

 the branch for an astonishingly long time, especially 

 if the weather change for the worse. I have known a 

 swarm remain suspended for four days. If left un- 

 disturbed the bees after a few hours' suspension fly 

 off to some suitable retreat within a hollow tree, 



L. B. W. 7 



