138 HIVING OF SWARMS. 



a situation, from which it cannot be dislodged and 

 made to enter the hive, by shaking or other for- 

 cible means. If urine be attractive to bees, its 

 attraction must proceed from other qualities than 

 those which he has mentioned ; it does certainly 

 contain a very small portion of salt, but I know of 

 no analysis of healthy human urine, which admits 

 sugar to be a constituent part of it. 



A tinkling noise is generally, though I believe 

 erroneously, considered to be useful in inducing 

 bees to settle. KEYS recommends the use of a 

 watchman's rattle, but not till the queen has come 

 forth, for fear of alarming her too soon, nor after 

 the bees have begun to cluster. 



KEYS advises also the throwing of sand or water 

 among the bees, to make them cluster ; likewise 

 the making of some very great noise, such as firing 

 a gun ; some have supposed the bees to mistake 

 a loud noise, for thunder foreboding a storm ; but 

 this, instead of causing them to settle, would rather 

 cause their return to the parent stock. DR. EVANS 

 suggests the probability of noises being first used, 

 as signals to the neighbours that a swarm was up, 

 and being afterwards continued by habit only. 

 The throwing up of handfuls of dust or sand, is 

 said to make bees descend, when they soar very 

 high ; these missiles being mistaken for rain. 



Bees, when swarming, are generally peaceable, 

 and if treated gently, may be hived without 



