322 OVERSTOCKING. 



also find, that as soon as bees become diffused over a 

 country, their propensity to swarm is greatly lessened ; 

 regulated, however, to a certain extent, by the pro- 

 ductiveness or non-productiveness of the seasons. 

 If, on the other hand, excessive artificial increase is 

 made, or unusual numbers concentrated at any given 

 point without a corresponding amount of pasturage, 

 then, overstocking will be the inevitable result. 



The distance to which bees extend their flight in 

 search of food will occasionally be three or more 

 miles, yet if compelled to fly over half that distance 

 they work to greater disadvantage, and cannot accu- 

 mulate so large a store, as when the pasturage is 

 within the latter range. 



The following extract of a letter from Mr. Wagner, 

 of York, Pa., to Mr. Langstroth, published in " Hive 

 and Honey Bee," page 800, shows the experience of 

 the largest cultivators in Europe : 



" In reply to your inquiry respecting the over- 

 stocking of a district, I would say that the present 

 opinion of the correspondents of the Bienenzeitung 

 appears to be that it cannot readily be done. Dzier- 

 zon says, in practice at least, ' it never is done. 1 

 And Dr. Radlkofer of Munich, the President of the 

 second Apiarian Convention, declares that his appre- 

 hensions on that score were dissipated by observa- 

 tions which he had opportunity and occasion to make 

 when on his way home from the convention. I have 

 numerous accounts of apiaries in pretty close prox- 

 imity, containing from two hundred to three hundred 



