﻿Duration 
  of 
  Life 
  in 
  the 
  Honey 
  Bee. 
  1G9 
  

  

  and 
  wishes 
  respecting 
  the 
  future 
  number 
  of 
  his 
  stocks. 
  In 
  case 
  he 
  

   does 
  not 
  wish 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  his 
  stocks, 
  when 
  a 
  

   swarm 
  rises 
  let 
  it 
  be 
  returned; 
  then 
  let 
  him 
  watch 
  carefully 
  the 
  

   proceedings 
  of 
  the 
  hive 
  or 
  stock 
  for 
  the 
  next 
  nine 
  or 
  ten 
  days. 
  If 
  

   young 
  queens 
  are 
  brought 
  out 
  dead, 
  exceeding 
  three 
  or 
  four, 
  he 
  

   may 
  be 
  quite 
  certain 
  the 
  stock 
  will 
  not 
  cast; 
  if 
  the 
  stock 
  com- 
  

   mences 
  honey 
  gathering 
  with 
  energy 
  he 
  may 
  also 
  rest 
  satisfied 
  

   that 
  it 
  will 
  not 
  cast. 
  Should 
  however 
  the 
  bees 
  be 
  determined 
  to 
  

   follow 
  their 
  natural 
  course, 
  and 
  cast, 
  they 
  must 
  be 
  returned 
  again 
  

   and 
  again 
  until 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  queens 
  are 
  disposed 
  of, 
  

   when 
  the 
  stock 
  will 
  quietly 
  settle 
  down, 
  and 
  the 
  apiarian 
  may 
  

   look 
  forward 
  to 
  his 
  honey 
  harvest. 
  He 
  will 
  by 
  this 
  means 
  have 
  

   the 
  increase 
  of 
  his 
  stocks 
  entirely 
  at 
  command; 
  he 
  will 
  have 
  the 
  

   benefit 
  of 
  the 
  labours 
  of 
  his 
  surplus 
  population; 
  and 
  if 
  quality 
  

   and 
  fineness 
  of 
  honey 
  is 
  his 
  aim, 
  he 
  can 
  by 
  no 
  other 
  means 
  secure 
  

   his 
  object 
  so 
  certainly 
  and 
  safely 
  as 
  by 
  returning 
  his 
  swarms, 
  

   because 
  in 
  a 
  stock 
  when 
  the 
  swarm 
  has 
  been 
  returned, 
  no 
  fear 
  

   need 
  be 
  entertained 
  of 
  the 
  queen 
  depositing 
  eggs 
  in 
  the 
  glasses 
  

   or 
  boxes 
  intended 
  for 
  surplus 
  honey, 
  and 
  therefore 
  extreme 
  

   purity 
  of 
  the 
  honey 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  whiteness 
  of 
  the 
  comb 
  it 
  attained. 
  

  

  This 
  process 
  of 
  returning 
  is 
  an 
  exceedingly 
  simple 
  one, 
  and 
  

   certain 
  of 
  success: 
  the 
  bees 
  are 
  hived 
  in 
  an 
  ordinary 
  straw 
  hive, 
  

   and 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  settled 
  (probably 
  about 
  twenty 
  minutes 
  after 
  

   being 
  taken), 
  they 
  should 
  be 
  dashed 
  out 
  on 
  a 
  white 
  cloth 
  by 
  sud- 
  

   denly 
  striking 
  the 
  hive 
  mouth 
  downwards 
  on 
  the 
  cloth 
  — 
  the 
  

   sharper 
  the 
  stroke 
  the 
  better 
  ; 
  the 
  hive 
  should 
  immediately 
  be 
  

   lifted 
  up, 
  and 
  the 
  bees 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  a 
  confused 
  lump 
  on 
  the 
  

   cloth 
  ; 
  theij 
  will 
  not 
  rise 
  or 
  take 
  wing, 
  but 
  will 
  spread 
  themselves 
  

   on 
  the 
  cloth. 
  The 
  queen 
  must 
  now 
  be 
  watched 
  for 
  diligently; 
  

   when 
  seen, 
  she 
  should 
  be 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  wine-glass, 
  then 
  slip 
  

   under 
  the 
  glass 
  a 
  card 
  or 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  zinc, 
  and 
  care 
  taken 
  that 
  she 
  

   does 
  not 
  escape 
  : 
  she 
  must 
  be 
  removed 
  and 
  killed. 
  The 
  bees 
  may 
  

   then 
  be 
  left 
  to 
  themselves, 
  and 
  they 
  will, 
  when 
  they 
  miss 
  the 
  

   queen, 
  take 
  wing 
  and 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  stock 
  whence 
  they 
  issued 
  ; 
  

   but 
  what 
  is 
  better, 
  the 
  cloth 
  may 
  be 
  taken 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  corners, 
  laid 
  

   on 
  a 
  board 
  sloping 
  towards 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  hive, 
  and 
  a 
  commu- 
  

   nication 
  made 
  between 
  the 
  bees 
  of 
  the 
  swarm 
  and 
  the 
  stock 
  : 
  as 
  

   soon 
  as 
  this 
  is 
  done, 
  the 
  bees 
  of 
  the 
  swarm 
  will 
  be 
  as 
  anxious 
  to 
  

   return 
  as 
  they 
  were 
  to 
  come 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  hive, 
  and 
  the 
  operation 
  

   will 
  be 
  complete 
  in 
  less 
  than 
  half 
  an 
  hour. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  no 
  danger 
  in 
  the 
  operation 
  whatever 
  ; 
  we 
  have 
  per- 
  

   formed 
  it 
  scores 
  of 
  times 
  without 
  covering 
  of 
  any 
  kind, 
  and 
  with- 
  

  

  