ARTIFICIAL SWAKMING. 173 



moved, are all arranged in a continued line, the bees, instead 

 of leaving them, will stoutly defend them against the 

 thieving propensities of other bees. 



In returning the frames, care must be taken not to 

 crush the bees between them and the rabbets on which 

 they rest ; they should be put in so slowly r , that a bee, on 

 feeling the slightest pressure, may have a chance to creep 

 from under them before it is hurt. In shutting up the 

 hive, the surplus honey-board should be carefully sUd on, 

 so that any bees which are in the way may be pushed 

 before it, instead of being crushed. A beginner will find 

 it to his advantage to practice using an empty hive the 

 directions for opening and shutting hives, and lifting out 

 the frames, until confident that he fully understands them. 

 If any bees are where they would be imprisoned by clos- 

 ing the upper cover, it should be propped up a little, until 

 they have flown to the entrance of the hive : (PI. VII., 

 Fig. 20.) 



An artificial colony may be made in five minutes from 

 the time a hive is opened, if the queen is seen as quickly 

 as she often is, by an expert. Fifteen minutes is, on an 

 average, ample time to complete the whole work. In less 

 than a week, if the weather is pleasant, an Apiarian with 

 a hundred old stocks, by devoting to them a few hours 

 every day, can, without any assistance, easily finish the 

 business of swarming for the whole season. 



But if the formation of artificial swarms is delayed, as it 



always should be (p. ), till near the time* for natural 



swarming, how can the bee-keeper, unless constantly on 

 hand, escape the risk of losing some of his best swarms ? 

 If he prefers to dispense entirely with natural swarming, 

 he may deprive his fertile queens of their wings : (see 



* It will be easy with movable-comb hives to determine, by an occasional 

 inspection, when the season for natural swarming is approaching. 



