278 MUSIC USELESS NEW SWARMS NEW HIVES. 



and out of the hive, and on any one approaching it, 

 the bees evince an uncommon degree of irascibility, 

 attacking indiscriminately any object that presents 

 itself. A small hive generally swarms earlier than 

 a large one. The rise and departure of a swarm is 

 a most curious and gratifying, and, to a degree, 

 anxious spectacle to the proprietor : but to any un* 

 fortunate animal upon which the swarm may alight, 

 almost certain destruction, against which, the nu- 

 merous examples ought to excite every possible 

 caution. 



The accustomed music of warming-pans and tongs 

 on this occasion, is an ancient fallacy of no kind of 

 use ; or was perhaps originally practised to announce 

 the proprietor's title to the swarm, which he had a 

 right to follow into other person's grounds. In re- 

 gard to the clustering of bees, a great mistake is 

 sometimes made by the inexperienced Apiarian, 

 when he sees his bees after the swarming season 

 clustering about the entrance, for he immediately 

 concludes that he is going to be enriched by another 

 swarm, whereas it is merely an indication of a want 

 of room in the hive, and the remedy is very simple ; 

 by placing an eek under the hive, the bees will cease 

 from clustering, and proceed immediately to fill up 

 the vacant space. 



Early drones, early swarms new swarm, new 

 hive : the latter ought to be an indispensable apia- 

 rian rule, though so often infringed by cottagers, 

 who do not scruple to swarm their bees in old shat- 

 tered hives, already swarming with vermin. The 

 swarm being overtaken should be hived with all 



