152 THE HIVE AND HONEY-BEE. 



a single swarm, of its own accord, will form a large num- 

 ber of independent families, each possessing its own queen, 

 and all living in perfect harmony. 



This method, so fascinating in theory, though repeat- 

 edly tried with various ingenious modifications, has in 

 every instance proved an entire failure. If the bees are 

 allowed to pass from one hive to another, they will confine 

 their breeding operations mostly to a single apartment, if 

 it is of the ordinary size, and will use the others chiefly 

 for storing honey. This is almost invariably the case, if 

 the additional room is given by collateral or side boxes, 

 as the queen seldom enters such apartments for the pur- 

 pose of breeding ; if, however, the new hive is directly 

 below that in which the swarm was first lodged, and the con- 

 nections are suitable, she will be almost certain to descend 

 and lay her eggs in the new combs, as soon as they are 

 begun by the bees. The upper hive being now almost en- 

 tirely abandoned by her, the bees fill the cells with honey, 

 as fast as the brood is hatched, their instinct impelling 

 them to keep their stores of honey, if possible, above the 

 breeding-cells. So long as bees have an abundance of 

 room below their main hive, they very seldom swarm ; but 

 if it is on the sides of their hive, or above them, they often 

 swarm rather than take possession of it. In none of these 

 cases, however, do they ever form independent colonies, 

 if left to themselves. 



The skillful Apiarian may, doubtless, compel his bees to 

 rear an artificial colony, by separating from the main hive, 

 by a slide, an apartment that happens to contain brood ; 

 but unless his hives admit of thorough inspection, as he 

 can never know their exact condition, he will be far more 

 likely to fail than to succeed. This plausible theory, there- 

 fore, to be reduced to even an empirical and precarious 



