ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. 67 



scale, Langstroth has devised an ingenious plan to re- 

 populate denuded colonies : — 



" Let the Apiarian obtain a forced swarm from some 

 Bee-keeper a mile or two off. Bring it home and con- 

 fine the Bees, allowing plenty of ventilation, until late in 

 the afternoon or early next morning ; then let him force 

 four or five swarms, placing them at once on the stands 

 of the parent stocks, and these latter where it is intended 

 they shall permanently remain. The imported swarm 

 should now be shaken out on a sheet and sprinkled with 

 syrup, to prevent the Bees taking wing. With a saucer 

 scoop up, without hurting any of them, as many Bees as 

 you can, and carry them to the mouth of one of the old 

 stocks from which you have driven a swarm ; continue to 

 do this until you have about equally apportioned the 

 Bees. These Bees, having no previous home in your 

 Apiary, will adhere to the different hives in which they 

 are placed, and thus, without any further trouble, your 

 parent stocks and forced swarms will alike prosper. If 

 the Bee-keeper cannot conveniently obtain a swarm from 

 a distance, he may use for this purpose the first natural 

 swarm which comes off in his own Apiary, and by 

 delaying to make artificial colonies until natural swarms 

 begin to issue, every such swarm may be used for form- 

 ing at least four artificial ones." 



Dr. Donhoff gives a method to secure a colony which, 

 when divided in the way above mentioned, will not for- 

 sake their new habitations : — 



" On a fine evening, when the next day promises to be 

 bright, drive out a swarm and set it in the place of the 

 parent stock; next day, when it is warm, pour some 

 honey amongst the Bees, and in a few hours they will 

 swarm." 



A forced swarm may also be made to take kindly to 



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