236 NATURAL SWARMING. 



selected colonies or selected races, cannot always be had by 

 natural swarming. In this, artificial swarming is much bet- 

 ter, and gives much more satisfactory results whenever an in- 

 crease is desirable. 



453. 6th. The numerous swarms lost every year, is a 

 strong argument against natural swarming. 



An eminent Apiarist has estimated that, taking into account 

 all who keep bees, one-fourth of the best swarms are lost 

 every season. While some bee-keepers seldom lose a swarm, 

 the majority suffer serious losses by the flight of their bees 

 to the woods; and it is next to impossible, even for the most 

 careful, to prevent such occurrences, if their bees are allowed 

 to swarm. 



Apiarists will then recognize that it -is very important to 

 follow a method, which wijl nearly, if not altogether, pre- 

 vent natural swarming. But in order to prevent it, we must 

 know the causes of it. 



454. Natural swarming is a natural impulse in bees. Yet, 

 it can be prevented, for it is always caused by uneasiness, as 

 we will show in the next paragraph, or by an abnormal con- 

 dition of the colony. It is caused; 



1st. In the majority of instances, by the want of room in 

 the combs. By want of room, we do not mean want of empty 

 space in the hive, but want of emj)ty comb for the queen to 

 deposit her eggs, or for the workers to deposit their honey. 

 So long as bees have an abundance of empty space 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. 



This happens, not only in the Southern latitudes, where the 

 swarming instinct is so powerful, but even in our Northern 

 or Middle States. This fact is corroborated by Simmins, 

 whose non-swarming system is based on the idea of keeping 

 "open space and unfinished combs at the front, or adjoining 

 the entrance." (Rottingdean, England, 1886.) Persons who 

 are unacquainted with the details of bee-keeping have no idea, 



