HIVING THE LARGER SWARMS DEPRIVING. 281 



a sufficiency of food to support them during the 

 winter. 



The junction of second swarms is a very nice ope- 

 ration, and requires great judgment in the manage- 

 ment. Supposing that two second swarms come off 

 together, the queen must be taken from the smaller 

 one, as in the preceding case, and kept a close pri- 

 soner. Proceed then to hive the larger swarm, and 

 immediately after shake the bees of the smaller into 

 the same hive. It would be advisable in this stage 

 to have some sweet liquid at hand, wherewith to 

 sprinkle the bees copiously, for the purpose of con- 

 founding their respective scent, and then deposit the 

 hive at the place where the smaller swarm settled. A 

 very short time will determine the terms of intimacy 

 which subsist between the two swarms ; if they 

 agree, their combined numbers will insure the pros- 

 perity of the hive, and on the contrary, if they dis- 

 agree, it is most probable, that the bees of the 

 smaller swarm, having lost their queen, will return 

 to their parent hive, and this is by no means to be 

 regretted by the proprietor. 



DEPRIVING, or gathering the harvest of honey 

 from the hive, should be performed in August, im- 

 mediately after the swarming season, for which 

 Huish gives the satisfactory reason, that the bees, 

 from that period to October, may replenish the 

 vacuum left in the hive. The improved hive is far 

 the most, perhaps the only convenient form for this 

 practice, which is sufficiently simple and easy. As^ 

 certain the weight of the hive, and the quantity of 

 honeycomb proper to be extracted, and commence 



