156 THE HIVE AND HONEY-BEE, 



about five minutes, all are filled to their utmost capacity. 

 A prodigious humming is now heard, as they begin to 

 mount into the upper box ; and in about fifteen minutes 

 from the time the rapping began if it has been continued 

 with but slight intermissions the mass of the bees, with 

 their queen, will hang clustered in the forcing-box, like 

 any natural swarm, and may, at the proper time, be readily 

 shaken out, on a sheet, in front of their intended hive. 



If the forced swarm could now be put on the old stand, 

 and the parent-hive removed to a new place in the Apiary ; 

 or if the latter could be returned to its usual position, and 

 the former be put somewhere else, it would simplify very 

 much the making of artificial swarms. Neither method, 

 however, can be pursued without serious loss ; for if the 

 position of a colony has been changed by the bee-keeper, 

 the bees will not adhere to the new place, as they do 

 when they swarm of their own accord. 



In every case when the position of its hive has been 

 changed, each bee, as it sallies out, flies with its head 

 turned towards it, that by marking the surrounding 

 objects, it may find its way back. If, however, the bees 

 did not emigrate of their own free will, most of them 

 appearing to forget that their location has been changed, 

 return to the familiar spot ; for it would seem that, 



" A ' bee removed ' against its will, 

 Is of the same opinion still. " 



Should the Apiarian, ignorant of this fact, place the 

 forced swarm on the old stand, and remove the parent- 

 stock to a new place, the latter would lose so many of the 

 uees which ought to be retained in it, that most of its 

 unsealed brood would perish from neglect. If, on the 

 contrary, he should remove the forced swarm to a new 

 position, it would be so depopulated as to be of little value. 



