Swarm Control 



13 



elde, swarming is more difficult to 

 control, especially if the field bees are 

 confined to their hives a part of the 

 time during the day by showers or by 

 erratic yielding of nectar (p. 10), and 

 the greatest precaution as to preven- 

 tive measures is necessary. Remedial 

 measures applicable here are discussed 

 later in this bulletin. 



(3) When the main honey .flow of 

 the season occurs previous to the time 

 the bees are in condition to swarm, 

 the full crop can not be harvested be- 

 cause the colonies must utilize the 

 honey flow for building up to full 

 strength. This condition :^s found 

 in many localities in which the main 

 honey flow occurs quite early, if the 

 management is not directed toward 

 the early development of the colonies. 

 The obvious remedy for this condi- 

 tion is a change in the management 

 which may enable the bees to become 

 sufficiently strong in time for the hon- 

 ey flow. ( See Farmers' Bulletins Nos. 

 1012, 1014, and 1039.) 



HIVING NATURAL SWARMS 



The beekeeper who is operating but 

 one apiary and expects to be present 

 during the swarming season usually 

 prefers to take precautions to prevent 

 swarming as much as practicable, then 

 hive the swarms that issue, rather 

 than to examine all the colonies each 

 week to anticipate swarming. If out- 

 apiaries are being operated, or if the 

 beekeeper is away from home during 

 the day, natural swarming should not 

 be permitted. 



When natural swarming is per- 

 mitted, the work of hiving the swarms 

 is easier if the_fl ueens' wings ar e 

 c lipped' previolis tome swarmin g""sea- 

 soS; This does- not prevdk swarming 

 but it does prev ent the swarm from 

 leaving^^and averts the necessity of 

 taking swarms down from tall trees 

 or other inaccessible places, since a 

 clipped queen can not go with the 



swarm and the bees will return to the 

 hive. If by chance another swarm 

 having a queen that can fly happens to 

 be out at the same time and unites 

 with the queenless one, the swarm can 

 not be expected to return. The best 

 time to clip the wings of the queen is 

 usually during some early honey flow, 

 like that from fruit bloom, before the 

 colonies have become very populous. 

 In the production of extracted honey 

 and when the best swarm-control' 

 measures are employed, the clipping of 

 the queens' wings is unnecessary and 

 the practice is becoming less common. 

 Swarms that issue during the hon- 

 ey flow or just previous to the begin- 

 ning of the honey flow should not be 

 placed in a new location separated 

 from the parent colony, since to do 

 so would divide the working force of 

 the colony, but the jmrent colony 

 should be moved a short distance to 

 one side and the new hive for the 

 swarm put in its place. In this way 

 the field force is all given- to the 

 swarm, which now becomes the pro- 

 ducing colony. 



The hive of the parent colony shoulcf^ 

 be moved while the swarm is out, thei 

 new hive put in its place, and the I 

 partially filled supers transferred from ^ 

 the parent colony to the new hive, i 

 which is then ready to receive the 

 swarm. The hive entrance of the I 

 parent colony should be turned away j 

 from its former position (fig. 3) in ; 

 order that the swarm may be hived ' 

 in the new hive without a part of. , 

 the bees entering the hive of the r)ar- 

 ent colony, /^f^- sometimes advisable ( 

 ^to cover the old hive with a cloth ] 

 /\while the swarm is being hived it 

 bees attempt to enterjtj 

 ' If the queen's wings have not been 

 clipped^ thejswarm after having clus- 

 tered may be shaken into a basket 

 or a light box, which may be attached 

 to the end of a pole, if need be. They 

 should then be dumped immediately 



' To find the queen, take out one or two of the outside combs from the side of the hive 

 next to the operator. If the queen is not' on these combs, set them aside In order that 

 the remaining combs may be more readily examined. If robbers are troublesome these 

 combs must be put into an empty hive or a light box that will hold two or three frames 

 and kept covered while they are out of the hive. As each of the remaining combs is 

 removed from the hive, glance quickly over the exposed side of the next comb in the hive 

 to see if the queen is there. If she is not there, turn the comb just removed to examine 

 the other side and proceed in this way until the queen is found. As the combs are exam- 

 ined they are placed back into the hive on the side nearest the operator in order to main- 

 tain an open space between the combs already examined and those yet to be examined. 

 This work should be done rapidly and no more smoke should be used than is necessary for 

 rapid work. If the bees are inclined to be nervous and run on the combs it is necessary 

 to watch for the queen In the spaces between the lower edge of the comb and the bottom 

 bar of the frames, and also on the bottom sides of the hive, for if the queen becomes 

 frightened she may run off of the combs into these spaces. 



When the queen is found she may be picked up by taking hold of her wings with the 

 thumb and forefinger of the right hand. She is then transferred to the left hand and held 

 llghtl;; either by the thorax or by her feet. The right hand is now free to pick up a pair 

 of small sharp-pointed scissors and clip off the major portions of the wings on one side. 

 Tne queen is now transferred back to the comb by taking hold of the remaiuiue wing. 



