POULTKY AND BEES. 503 



and with the Langstroth hives the farmer, who has a dozen colo- 

 nies, may take a swarm from each ahnost any day, and thus 

 have swarming over. But we will speak first' of natural swarms. 

 The common idea that the young bees go off leaving the old 

 bees in the hive is a mistaken one. As we have before stated, the 

 average life of the bee at this season is not over two months, and 

 the oldest of the bees in the hive must be the ones to swarm, for 

 the very young bees are not yet ready to leave the hive. The 

 natural, swarming instinct, is so strong that great care and many 

 precautions are often necessary to prevent overswarming. The 

 indications of a first swarm from a hive are not very distinct. 

 The swarm is to be led off by the old queen, and young queens 

 are reared to supply her place. An old queen will seldom ven- 

 ture out with a swarm except about the middle of a fair still 

 day. If, on such a day, when the other colonies are busy 

 gathering stores, one colony seems to be idle, but few bees 

 leaving for honey, there is probability of a swarm. If the 

 inside is now examined, and queen cells are found sealed 

 over, the bees intend to swarm at once. We say intend, for 

 they often delay after all their preparations are made. A sudden 

 failure in the supply of honey blossoms, or a sudden change 

 in the weather will often delay them. Before leaving, each of 

 the departing bees fills the honey sac with honey, a large swarm 

 sometimes taking six or eight pounds. As soon as they get 

 well out of the hive they will usually cluiiter on some limb, and 

 it is a good plan to have the bee hives in plain sight of some 

 low trees. A still better plan is to have three or four pieces of 

 board hung up in sight of the hives, with a large black cluster 

 painted on each of them in imitation of a swarm, with a new 

 clean hive set under each. Take a board twelve inches lonsc 

 and six wide, make a circle or an oblong on it, and drive in a 

 dozen small wooden pegs inside this circle, leaving their heads 



