39 



ihould be prevented as much as possible. The beginner will, 

 as a rule, desire to increase his stocks moderately, and there- 

 fore will not object to having a few swarms ; but when the pro- 

 duction of honey is the main dbject in view, swarming must, 

 so far as possible, be kept down. 



Amongst the signs that swarming may shortly be expected are 

 the following : — Bees ceasing to bring in 

 92. Signs of pollen, and clustering listlessly about the 

 Swarming. hive entrance while other stocks are at 



work ; a marked increase in the number of 

 drones on the wing on the morning of or a few hours before 

 swarming, these drones dashing about excitedly, making a 

 loud noise ; and the building of new queen cells, usually on the 

 edges of combs. The earliest date at which swarming will prob- 

 ably take place may be estimated pretty closely by noting the 

 age of the brood in the most advanced queen cell (10). Top or 

 first swarms usually issue in the forenoon of a fine day, but 

 may issue at an earlier or later hour. The old fertilised queen 

 goes with *the top swarm ; if she fails to issue with or remain 

 with the swarm, it will return to the hive. The swarm when 

 it issues will probably settle on some bush or branch adjacent 

 to the hive ; immediate steps should then be taken to secure it 

 for the rea,son already given (11) . 



When the swarm is settling down, or immediately afterwards, it 

 should be sprinkled with cold water to cool 

 93. Securing a Swarm, and wet the bees, so that they shall have 

 no tendency to rise. This may conveni- 

 ently be done with a sprayer, syringe, or wisp. The next 

 thing is to get the swarm safely into a straw skep, or if a skep 

 is not available, into a light box or pail. If the position of the 

 swarm is such that the skep can be held underneath it to 

 receive the bees when jerked into it by giving a sharp upward 

 movement io the branch or other object to which the swarm 

 adheres, this is a good and simple method to adopt. It may 

 be, however, that the swarm is so placed that this method of 

 securing it could not well be carried out, in which case the 

 skep should be fixed in position immediately over the swarm, 

 and as close as possible to it ; if the bees have only just settled, 

 say within an hour, they will probably ascend ink) it ; if they do 

 not, they may be induced to do so by placing a cloth saturated 

 with carbolic solution (180) under them. When by either 

 method the swarm has been secured in the skep, it should be 

 taken down, and the mouth should be covered with a cloth of 

 butter muslin or open canvas, so as to confine the bees to the 

 skep while giving them plenty of air ; the skep may then be 

 left in a cool shady pla<;e until required for hiving (76). placing 

 it mouth downwards, but tilted for ventilation. If the skep 

 containing the swarm were left uncovered, the bees might 

 abscond from it, and either move to a distant spot selected by 

 the scouts, or possibly return to the hive. The flying bees will 

 not be lost, as they will return to the parent hive. Assuming 

 that it is not intended to dispose of the pwarm, a hive should 

 at once be prepared for hiving it (95) . 



