THE HONEY BEE FAMILY 37 



The swarm may issue at any time after the 

 queen cells are sealed, though it often delays 

 until the young queens are ready to emerge. 

 Everything will apparently be going on as 

 usual, when, suddenly, the bees begin to pour 

 out of the hive hke mad. They fairly tumble 

 over each other in their haste to reach the open 

 air, where they begin circhng about with a loud 

 buzzing. The queen may be among the first to 

 leave the hive or she may be near the last. 

 While her going is necessary, and unless she 

 does go the bees soon return to the hive, there is 

 no more attention paid to her going, as far as 

 can be seen, than to that of any other bee. 

 After circling about for a short time the swarm 

 usually clusters on a limb of a tree, or in some 

 other convenient place. The place which proves 

 most convenient for the bees is often most in- 

 convenient for the beekeeper when there are 

 large trees about. 



The time was when there was a great beat- 



