210 ARTIFICIAL SWARMS. 



the proper age, and fixed it in a Huber hive which 

 had died out during the preceding winter, and was 

 now full of empty comb. We then removed to the 

 opposite side of the garden, and quite out of sight, 

 one of the hives which had an outlying, or rather out- 

 hanging mass attached to its alighting-board, instantly 

 clapping down in its place on the same board the 

 already prepared hive, and, with the help of a hot sun, 

 forcing the others to enter. They made a tremendous 

 noise, and seemed much disconcerted at finding, in- 

 stead of the rich combs they had hitherto been familiar 

 with, nothing but empty cells. This agitation was 

 kept up all the day by the continued arrival of those 

 bees which had been abroad when the substitution 

 took place, and who added greatly to the population. 

 At noon next day we inspected the new establishment, 

 and found, to our great satisfaction, that the experi- 

 ment had completely succeeded. The foundations of 

 three royal cells had been laid in the small piece of 

 brood comb we had given them. In due time tire 

 Queen was hatched, the hive prospered, and at the 

 end of the season, we took from it nine quarts of 

 honey. I may observe, that, though it was a Huber's 

 hive we used on this occasion, it would have succeeded 

 equally well with a straw one ; the construction of 

 the hive had no influence on the experiment farther 

 than that it rendered it easier to fasten the piece of 

 brood comb, from its being made to open in leaves.* 



* We repeated this operation on a common hive this season, 

 (1834,) sending off the artificial swarm immediately to the 

 ieath. On bringing it back, three weeks afterwards; we founa 



