270 Beekeeping 



act as a preventive of swarming, although it is not so claimed 

 by Doctor Miller. The use of large hives in the production 

 of extracted-honey, which so successfully reduces swarming, 

 may be considered as the giving of an environment unsuit- 

 able for the development of the swarming tendency rather 

 than the control of swarming by manipulation. 



Preventive manipulations. 



The most common methods of preventing swarming are 

 by manipulation, probably because success, if attained, is 

 immediately recognizable. Greater progress has been made 

 in the devising of manipulations for this purpose than is 

 shown in breeding or in the invention of mechanical devices. 

 The manipulations used by the beekeeper in swarm preven- 

 tion fall into the following classes : (1) the introduction of 

 young queens (preferably from superior stock, possibly the 

 progeny of queens whose colonies have not swarmed) ; (2) 

 the prevention of crowding in the brood-chamber previous 

 to the honey-flow, the crowding incident to comb-honey pro- 

 duction being brought about only after supers are put on. 

 This is often accomplished by giving an extra hive-body for 

 early brood-rearing, so that there is abundant room for 

 brood and stores ; (3) the use of bait sections or extracting 

 combs (Fig. 133) in the first super in comb-honey production, 

 thus inducing the bees to begin work in the supers promptty 

 to avoid excessive and unnecessary crowding in the brood- 

 chamber; (4) the proper manipulation of supers in comb- 

 honey production (p.. 314) to reduce crowding as far as pos- 

 sible (possibly also to remove young bees from the brood- 

 chamber) ; (5) the use of only good worker comb in the 

 brood-chamber, to reduce the number of cells unavailable 

 for worker eggs; (6) ventilation (by raising the hive on 

 blocks, or by large entrances) ; (7) shade, to prevent over- 

 heating ; (8) the removal of combs of brood which are re- 

 placed by empty combs or sheets of foundation to relieve 

 the congestion (see also this manipulation under remedial 

 measures) ; (9) the removal of queen cells soon after they 



