MUSIC USELESS NEW SWARMS NEW HIVES. 317 



a most curious and gratifying, and, to a degree, 

 anxious spectacle to the proprietor : but to any un- 

 fortunate animal upon which the swarm may alight, 

 almost certain destruction, against which, the nu- 

 merous examples ought to excite every possible 

 caution. 



The accustomed music of warming-pans and tongs 

 on this occasion, is an ancient fallacy of no kind of 

 use ; or was perhaps originally practised to announce 

 the proprietor's title to the swarm, which he had a 

 right to follow into other persons' grounds. In re- 

 gard to the clustering of bees, a great mistake is 

 sometimes made by the inexperienced apiarian, when 

 he sees his bees after the swarming season clustering 

 about the entrance, for he immediately concludes 

 that he is going to be enriched by another swarm, 

 whereas it is merely an indication of a want of 

 room in the hive, and the remedy is very simple ; 

 by placing an eke under the hive, the bees will cease 

 from clustering, and proceed immediately to fill up 

 the vacant space. 



Early drones, early swarms new swarm, new 

 hive. The latter ought to be an indispensable apia- 

 rian rule, though so often infringed by cottagers, 

 who do not scruple to put their young bees in old 

 shattered hives, already swarming with vermin. The 

 swarm being overtaken, should be hived with all 

 possible expedition, lest they take a second flight. 

 This duty can better be performed by experienced 

 workmen or women than here described. The hive 

 should always, if possible, be put under the swarm, 

 and the bees shaken or brushed into it with a goose 

 p 3 



