172 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



An objection to the plan was that these "put-ups" were 

 in the way and had to be Hfted down when anything was 

 done with supers. Still, for anyone who allows the bees 

 to swarm, and who does not object to the lifting, the 

 plan is a good one. 



GIVING NUCLEUS TO SWARM. 



A plan that has seemed to be as satisfactory as any 

 other, although it is not always convenient to use it, is 

 rpon the issuing of a swarm to pick up the queen so as 

 to have her out of the way, remove the old hive from th'^ 

 stand and place on the stand a nucleus in a regular hive. 

 The supers are put upon this hive, and the swarm is left 

 to return at its leisure. This takes little time and trouble, 

 and there is no danger of further swarming. I have seen 

 it stated that when the swarm returns the queen of the 

 nucleus may be killed, but that does not occur "in this 

 locality." 



PREVENTION OF SWARMING. 



I don't quite like that heading. It may be under- 

 stood to mean that I am entirely successful in profitably 

 preventing swarming, and I am not certain that I have yet 

 attained to that. I say profitably preventing it, for there 

 might be such a thing as preventing it in a way that would 

 hardly pay. If a colony disposed to swarm should be 

 blown up with dynamite^ it would probably not swarm 

 again, but its usefulness as a honey-gathering institution 

 would be somewhat impaired. Swarming might also be 

 prevented by means of such character as to involve an 

 amount of trouble that would make it unprofitable ; or it 

 might be prevented in such a way as to have a very un- 

 profitable effect upon the honey-crop. The thing I am 

 after is profitable prevention. 



NO DELIGHT IN SWARMS. 



I have read of the great delight felt by the bee-keeper 

 at the sight of an issuing swarm, the bees whirling and 



