236 DR. miller's 



A. A swarm-box being lighter than a hive, instead of carrying 

 the hive to where a swarm is, the box may be taken there, and 

 when the swarm is in the box it can be carried to the hive, laid 

 upon its side with the open part of the box toward the entrance 

 of the hive, so the Isees can run from the box into the hive. If 

 the\' are too slow aljout it they can be dumped on the ground in 

 front of the hive l)y jarring the box on the ground. 



Q. What are the best noticeable signs just before swarming? 



A. The most reliable sign that bees meditate swarming is the 

 finding of a number of queen-cells in the hive,. You may, how- 

 ever, judge a little from outside appearances, if you find a colony 

 ceasing work and loafing when other colonies keep on at work; 

 and when bees return from the field laden with pollec and join the 

 outside cluster without going inside to unload. 



(J. Last spring I bought a colony of bees and was very anx- 

 ious to have them swarm. The first swarm issued July 13. July 

 20 the mother colony swarmed- again. This swarm covered six 

 frames. On July 24 the third swarm issued from the parent 

 coleiny. A week later I opened the parent colony and found that 

 the bees had done nothing in the super. The body of the hive 

 was full of honey, and I found three queen-cells. Two of these 

 I destroyed. The cap of the third seemed loose, and soon the 

 queen crawled out, at least I thought she was the queen, though 

 she looked like any other bee. Do you suppose I ha\'e left the 

 colony queenless? 



Swarm No. 1 has made lots of honey, while the other two 

 swarms and the parent colony ha\e made nothing. Had I better 

 unite these, and how, or would it be better to give them frames of 

 honey from the other hive? Should I get new queens for the two 

 latter swarms and for the original colony? Should I go over the 

 combs every ten days and cut out queen-cells? 



A. There is nothing unusual in the program \'our bees have 

 followed. The mother colony having sent out three swarms, has 

 not bees enough left to do anything in the super, and all the bees 

 aie crowded into the brood-chamber, .\either are the second and 

 third swarms strong enough to do much, the first swarm being 

 the only one strong enough to do super work. When a colony pre- 

 pares for swarming, it starts quite a number of queen-cells, and 

 you found what were left after the last swarm issued. It is not 

 likely that your cutting nut those last cells made any difference 

 about SH arming, for it is a rare thing for the fourth swarm to 

 issue, ^'ou may or may not have made the colon}' queenless by 

 cutting out the cells. You say tlie 1>ee that came out e'f the 



