PREVENTION OP NATURAL SWARMING. 239 



of the hive completely useless, as far as prevention of swarm- 

 ing is concerned. The breeding room must be large enough 

 to accommodate the most prolific queen (155). 



463. 2d. The hive must be located where^ the sun will 

 not strike it directly in the hottest hours of the day. It can 

 easily be sheltered artificially with a roof, if there is no shrub- 

 bery around it (369). 



463. 3d. The drone-comb must be carefully removed, in 

 Spring, as far as possible, and replaced by worker-comb 

 (675). It is impossible to remove every cell of drone-comb, 

 but a few drones will not hurt. It is the excess, the breeding 

 of thousands of drones which is objectionable, and an in- 

 centive to swarming. The removal of drone-comb is highly 

 advisable for other reasons (513). 



464. 4th. The hive should be thoroughly ventilated, so 

 that the bees will find themselves comfortable in it. 



465. This system, which gives the smallest possible num- 

 ber of swarms, and the largest possible amount of surplus- 

 honey, was inaugurated by us, years ago, and has been 

 adopted on both eontiuents. Mr. Cowair, the worthy editor 

 of the British Bee-Journal, says of it, page 148, April, 1886, 

 "Hives managed in this way, will give the maximum of honey 

 with the least amount of labor." 



If the above directions are followed, the natural swarms 

 will not exceed three to five per cent. These swarms will be 

 very large — Mr. DeLayens once had a swarm weighing 11% 

 lbs. — and after-swarms will be scarce. The few hives that 

 swarm are those which, having old queens, attempt to replace 

 them during the swarming season (499), or those, whose 

 queens die while the crop is abundant. 



In the first ease, one or more young queens being raised in 

 the hive, it often happens that the old queen tries to destroy 

 them; the bees prevent her (114), and swarming is the re- 

 sult. The same reason may cause swarming in a strong col- 

 ony, in which a queen has been introduced by the Apiarist, 

 during a good yield of honey. Perhaps the bees accept her 



