﻿164 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  G. 
  Desborough 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  wiiich 
  it 
  departs, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  bee 
  keeper 
  it 
  entirely 
  destroys 
  his 
  

   prospect 
  of 
  obtaining 
  honey 
  from 
  the 
  stock, 
  except 
  he 
  is 
  bent 
  

   upon 
  its 
  total 
  destruction 
  to 
  obtain 
  the 
  little 
  store 
  they 
  have, 
  

   Surplus 
  honey, 
  unless 
  the 
  swarm 
  rises 
  very 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  year, 
  and 
  

   the 
  season 
  is 
  very 
  favourable, 
  is 
  quite 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  question. 
  

  

  It 
  may 
  appear 
  strange, 
  yet 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  more 
  strange 
  than 
  true, 
  

   that 
  the 
  20,000 
  bees 
  composing 
  the 
  swarm, 
  after 
  toiling 
  to 
  in- 
  

   crease 
  the 
  store, 
  do 
  not 
  help 
  to 
  consuaie 
  it, 
  but 
  die, 
  leaving 
  the 
  

   produce 
  of 
  their 
  labours 
  to 
  support 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  their 
  successors 
  

   for 
  the 
  long 
  period 
  which 
  is 
  to 
  elapse 
  before 
  the 
  store 
  can 
  be 
  

   replenished. 
  What 
  provision, 
  then, 
  is 
  made 
  to 
  obviate 
  the 
  danger 
  

   of 
  absolute 
  loss 
  of 
  the 
  stock, 
  whether 
  in 
  the 
  hive 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  swarm, 
  

   from 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  the 
  20,000 
  bees 
  ? 
  We 
  answer, 
  if 
  the 
  parent 
  

   hive 
  has 
  not 
  swarmed, 
  the 
  numbers 
  are 
  kept 
  up 
  from 
  eggs 
  laid 
  by 
  

   the 
  old 
  queen 
  ; 
  if 
  it 
  has 
  swarmed, 
  the 
  numbers 
  in 
  the 
  swarm 
  are 
  

   kept 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  old 
  queen, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  parent 
  stock 
  her 
  place 
  is 
  

   supplied 
  by 
  a 
  young 
  queen, 
  who, 
  although 
  she 
  does 
  not 
  imme- 
  

   diately 
  commence 
  laying 
  eggs 
  on 
  the 
  departure 
  of 
  the 
  swarm, 
  yet 
  

   does 
  so 
  sufficiently 
  early 
  to 
  produce 
  brood 
  to 
  replenish 
  the 
  stock, 
  

   so 
  as 
  to 
  withstand 
  the 
  vicissitudes 
  of 
  the 
  winter.* 
  

  

  This 
  brings 
  us 
  to 
  consider 
  whether 
  a 
  double 
  swarm, 
  or, 
  more 
  

   properly 
  speaking, 
  the 
  bees 
  of 
  two 
  swarms 
  joining 
  in 
  one, 
  is 
  ad- 
  

   vantageous 
  or 
  not. 
  When 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  hives 
  are 
  kept 
  near 
  each 
  

   other, 
  two 
  swarms, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  three, 
  will 
  settle 
  together 
  ; 
  and 
  

   although 
  it 
  may 
  at 
  first 
  sight 
  appear 
  extremely 
  advantageous 
  to 
  

   have 
  so 
  large 
  a 
  quantity 
  of 
  bees 
  in 
  a 
  swarm, 
  yet, 
  when 
  we 
  reflect 
  

   upon 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  whole 
  number, 
  large 
  though 
  it 
  be, 
  will 
  die 
  

   previously 
  to 
  the 
  autumn, 
  we 
  must 
  concede 
  that 
  the 
  advantage 
  in 
  

   point 
  of 
  numbers 
  continues 
  for 
  only 
  that 
  one 
  season. 
  It 
  is 
  true 
  

   the 
  vast 
  number 
  of 
  matured 
  workers 
  will 
  be 
  enabled 
  more 
  speedily 
  

   to 
  build 
  the 
  necessary 
  combs 
  to 
  establish 
  the 
  swarm, 
  and 
  the 
  

   apiarian 
  may 
  without 
  risk 
  give 
  the 
  swarm 
  extra 
  space 
  for 
  surplus 
  

   honey, 
  whereby 
  he 
  may 
  reap 
  a 
  present 
  profit 
  by 
  taking 
  honey 
  

   from 
  a 
  swarm 
  the 
  first 
  season 
  ; 
  whereas, 
  had 
  it 
  not 
  been 
  a 
  double 
  

   swarm, 
  it 
  would 
  scarcely 
  have 
  been 
  possible 
  to 
  do 
  so 
  without 
  the 
  

   risk 
  of 
  impoverishing 
  the 
  hive. 
  Here 
  the 
  advantage 
  ends, 
  for 
  

   notwithstanding 
  two 
  queens 
  would 
  rise 
  with 
  the 
  double 
  swarm, 
  

   only 
  one 
  would 
  be 
  allowed 
  to 
  live 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  bees 
  pro- 
  

   duced 
  in 
  the 
  hive 
  by 
  the 
  queen 
  governing 
  this 
  double 
  swarm, 
  

  

  • 
  1852 
  Aug. 
  5 
  Counted 
  4,090 
  cells 
  of 
  brood 
  sealed 
  over 
  ia 
  observatory 
  hive. 
  

   N. 
  B. 
  These 
  same 
  cells, 
  to 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  about 
  two-thirds, 
  

   were 
  afterwards 
  occupied 
  by 
  a 
  second 
  batch. 
  

   ,, 
  Aug. 
  19 
  Second 
  course 
  of 
  brood 
  beginning 
  to 
  be 
  sealed 
  over. 
  

  

  