SWARMING. 



424 



SWARMING. 



from our experience we should deem it 

 preferable to clip the queen's wings rather 

 than to cause the bees the inconvenience of 

 crawling, during the continuance of the 

 honey-llow, through narrow perforations of 

 zinc, simply to hold back the queen should a 

 swarm issue. 



While we recommend clipping in place of 

 using perforated zinc, yet in the case of very 

 strong colonies in the height of the honey- 



THE ALLEY TUAP IN HIVING SWARMS. 



When a swarm issues (see cut under 

 Drones), the bees pass the metal guard 

 readily; but the queen, ttnding herself shut 

 in. mounts "upstairs" in the same way as the 

 drones. Sometimes, however, instead of go- 

 ing above she will return into the hive. In 

 five or ten minutes, the bees, discovering the 

 absence of their queen, will go back to the 

 hive. They sliould not be allowed to make 



LIMB OF A TREE CUT OFF WITH THE SWARM READY TO HIVE. 



flow, especially when such colonies are in 

 two-story hives, it is more ])ractical to put 

 on entrance-guards or Alley traps. In the 

 first place, attaching the traps can be done 

 in a tenth of the time it takes to find the 

 queen ; and in the second place, pulling the 

 hive all apart to find her majesty causes 

 more or less interruption ; but, of course, 

 the queens should be clipped early in the 

 season when it is easy to find them. 



more than one attempt to swarm in this 

 manner, because, after a second failure of 

 the queen to follow she will likely be killed. 

 The bees may, however, cluster without the 

 queen, and remain clustered a short time. 

 When the queen enters the upper apart- 

 ment, the entire trap can be detached, fasten- 

 ed to a rake or some other object, and placed 

 among the flying bees. Of course, tliey will 

 readily cluster about the cage, when they can 



