SWARMING. 115 



CHAPTER XIII. 



SWARMING. 



HOWEVER populous a stock of bees may be in the 

 autumn, its numbers are greatly reduced during 

 winter, perhaps about six or seven eighths. This 

 loss is more than replaced in the spring, by the 

 amazing fecundity of the queen. Hence arises a dis- 

 position to throw off swarms, which, of course, will 

 issue more or less frequently, more or less early, 

 and in greater or less force, according to the tem- 

 perature of the season, the fertility of the queen, 

 the populousness of the stock, and the attention 

 that has been paid to early feeding. 



It is a prevalent opinion, that a swarm consists 

 entirely of young bees ; but this is an error : every 

 swarm contains a mixture of young and old ; the 

 latter are distinguishable by being of a redder 

 hue, and having ragged wings. 



In favourable seasons, a good stock will throw 

 off three swarms, even a swarm of the current year 

 will sometimes throw off another swarm ; in this 

 latter case, there is but a small collection of honey, 

 compared with the great number of bees which 

 have been called into existence. I have endea- 

 voured to account for this in page 113. In the 

 Monthly Magazine, for Sept. 1825, an instance is 



