The Cycle of the Year 65 



Behavior of the issuing swarm. 



The issuing of a swarm is one of the most exciting and 

 interesting incidents in the apiary. The bees rush from the 

 hive, giving the observer the impression that they are pursued 

 or "possessed of the devil." They appear intoxicated with 

 the " swarm dizziness" and whirl in " bacchanal delight," as 

 if drunk with joy. Even the beekeeper becomes excited. 

 The bees circle in the air and the whirling swarm may drift 

 about the apiary for a time. There is an excitement in the 

 " swarm tone" which is infectious. 



It is especially to be noted that swarming bees rarely 

 sting, and it is commonly stated that they cannot sting 

 because their abdomens are distended with the load of honey 

 in the honey stomach. This latter statement is incorrect, 

 if taken literally, but even the hardened beekeeper finds 

 enjoyment in walking into the midst of the circling swarm, in 

 spite of the fact that he has probably tried to prevent swarm- 

 ing, and he needs no veil under such circumstances. 



Clustering. 



The swarm after a time begins to settle on the limb of a 

 tree or some such support (Fig. 46) and the excitement is 

 past. Like the issuing of the swarm from the hive, the 

 incentive to cluster is not understood. The queen may be 

 the first to alight, and this seems quite natural since she is 

 heavy and a poor flyer compared with the workers, but she is 

 just as likely to join the cluster after it is partly formed. 

 However, the cluster is usually not formed if the queen has 

 not accompanied the swarm. One feature is noticeable in 

 the forming cluster, however, which perhaps throws some 

 light on the subject. It is well known that when bees are 

 thrown in front of a hive the abdomen is raised and the wings 

 are fanned vigorously. At such a time the dorsal scent 

 organ (p. 172), located on the intersegmental membrane 

 between the sixth and seventh terga of the abdomen, is 

 exposed by the bending ventrally of the last visible abdominal 

 segment. During clustering, the bees on the outside of the 



