34 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIj 



to lay, should it be joiued by either while it 

 is in the air or in a cluf^ter iu a tree. 



The only tliiny necessary then to ( ft'ectu- 

 ally remove all anxiety or uncertainty about 

 the loss of swarms is to have a wing of all 

 queens so cliin)ed that none can join the 

 swarm in the air and the result would be, 

 if the apiarist were not present to order 

 otherwise, that the swarm would return to 

 the hive whence it issued accompanied in 

 all probability by the queen (which is near 

 by on the ground) if the hive is so placed, as 

 it should be, that she can readily reach it 

 from the ground without flying. In such 

 case the swarm will be likely to issue again 

 and again on successive fine days till it is 

 observed and given a new home. When the 

 swarm returns it will generally spread over 

 the outside of the hive or cluster on the front 

 of it in such a manner that the owner, 

 though not very observant, would be almost 

 sure to discover that a swarm had issued 

 from that hive and returned, and he would 

 take steps to divide it or be on hand to take 

 care of it when it Issued on the succeeding 

 day. In the latter case, when the swarm be- 

 gins to issue, he will go to the side of the 

 hive and watch upon the ground in front for 

 the appearance of the queen and when dis- 

 covered he will allow her to rim up into a 

 simple cage, prepared beforehand, from a 

 piece of wire cloth three or four inches 

 square, and fasten her iu. While in the 

 cage she must be kept out of the direct rays 

 of the sun unless the bees have gathered in 

 considerable numbers about her. Now the 

 apiarist may take either of two courses, place 

 the cage with the (lueen in a basket and lift- 

 ing the basket on a pole or otherwise near to 

 the place where the swarm appears to be pre- 

 paring to cluster the bees will be likely to 

 discover the queen and cluster in the basket 

 and if the bees are already clustered they 

 may be shaken into the basket where with 

 little trouble they will stay with the queen, 

 when they may be hived wherever desired by 

 pouring them out upon the ground in front 

 of the hive designed for them which must 

 be so placed that they can run into it with- 

 out taking wing. When the bees begin to 

 enter freely the (lueeu should be released 

 and allowed to go in also. Or, instead of 

 this course, when the queen is caged, move 

 the hive, from which the bees came, back 

 and turn the entrance around, then placing 

 the hive designed for the swarm where the 

 old one stood and (luttingthe caged queen in 



the shade near its entrance await the return 

 of the swarm, when they are hived with the 

 queen as before. Some years almost all 

 swarms return very soon without clustering, 

 other years almost all cluster and are slow 

 about returning. In the former case the 

 placing of the new hive on the stand of the 

 old one is almost a necessity and in the lat- 

 ter case, even when the new hive is put on 

 the old stand, shaking the bees into a basket 

 will be found desirable. 



In case the queen should be lost or killed 

 on account of issuing with a swarm in the 

 absence of the owner tlie bees would return 

 and not swarm again, at least until a young 

 queen emerged from its cell which would 

 ordinarily be eight or nine days, when, if the 

 flow of nectar lias continued, a swarm would 

 be certain to issue led by a young queen 

 which of course would be able to fly and so 

 liable to lead the swarm to parts unknown, 

 but if the flow of nectar has wholly ceased 

 the colony is not very likely to cast a swarm. 

 This after-swarming in which a young queen 

 accompanies the swarm is a case in which 

 the clipping of queens' wings cannot be 

 made to afford the protection it does with 

 old queens since it would be both inconven- 

 ient to clip such queens as well as certain 

 destruction to their usefulness if they should 

 be clipped. No queen can, with impunity, 

 be deprived of her powers of flight before 

 she begins to lay. 



When and how to clip will be of much in- 

 terest to beginners. During the first de- 

 cidedly warm weather in spring while the 

 bees are busy with the early flowers is per- 

 haps, on the wiiole, the best time, as then the 

 queen is more easily found on account of the 

 comparative fewness of the l)ee*andthe con- 

 dition of each colony can be fully determin- 

 ed at the shhk time. Tlie (juickest way to 

 find the (luct'ii can best be learned by experi- 

 ence. Air the tiinoof the year referred to she 

 may gen'iia'l\ be found quite readily upon 

 the combs if the frames can be so carefully 

 moved as not to frighten the bees, but if the 

 colony be i)opulous or the bees easily fright- 

 ened she may sometimes be more easily 

 found by sliaking the bees off the combs 

 upon the smooth ground in front of the hive 

 and then watching for her as the bees are 

 running into the hive. In such case a queen 

 trap or other <|ueen excluder placed on the 

 entrance of tlio hive will simplifj m-.itteis by 

 allowing the workers to pass into the hive 

 but shutting tlie queen out \Vhere after a lit- 



