14 



Farmers' Bulletin 1198 



In front of the prepared hive, which 

 should be arranged so they will not 

 crawl under it, but can readily entetJ 

 (fig. 4). A wide board, a cloth, or a 

 newspaper may be used for a bridge 

 to the entrance. If the bees do not 

 begin to enter the hive at once, some 

 of those nearest the entrance may be 

 pushed in with a brush or a large 

 feather. If some start to run away 

 from the entrance they may be gently^ 

 brushed toward it. The bees should ; 



PREVENTION OF AFTERSWARMS AND 

 DISPOSITION OF THE PARENT COL- 

 ONY 



By this method of hiving swarms 

 the bees are soon at work agafn with 

 renewed energy in the same set of 

 supers which a short time previously 

 they were so eagerly deserting. The 

 field force has not been reduced, the 

 returning field bees from the parent 

 colony all entering the new hive, 

 since it is located where the old one 

 stood. Frequently such colonies store 

 even more honey than colonies that 

 do not attempt to swarm. As soon as 

 the swarm is established in the new 

 hive the entrance of the parent colony 

 should be turned back toward its 

 former position (fig. 6), and a day 

 or two later it should again be turned, 

 so that the two hives now stand side 



Fig. 3. — While the swarm is out, the hive 

 of the parent colony is turned away, the 

 new hive put In its place, and the supers 

 transferred to the new hive, which Is now 

 ready to receive the swarm 



not be permitted to crawl up the sides 

 of the hive and cluster outside, but 

 all should be induced to enter. 



If the queen's wings are clipped, 

 the operator should be ready to watch 

 for and catch the queen while the 

 swarm is issuing. When the queen 

 is found she should be placed in a 

 wire-cloth cage and put on the shady 

 side of the hive until the swarm re- 

 turns. The swarm may return and 

 enter the new hive without cluster- 

 ing, in which case the cage contain- 

 ing the queen may be thrust part way 

 into the entrance of the new hive, but 

 the queen should not be released 

 among the returning bees until after 

 many of them have entered the hive, 

 because the bees may again take wing 

 if the queen is released too soon. If 

 the bees cluster where they are 

 readily accessible, it may not be ad- 

 visable to wait for them to return of 

 their own accord, since other swarms 

 may issue and several of them join 

 the cluster. They may be handled in 

 hiving the same as though their 

 queen were with them. A wire-cloth 

 cage large enough to be set over a 

 hive (fig. 5) is sometimes useful if 

 many swarms issue at one time, for 

 one of these may be, placed over any 

 colony just starting to swarm to catch 

 the swarm as it issues, thus prevent- 

 ing the confusion usually brought 

 about when several swarms unite, 



Fig. i. — Swarm entering new hive 



by side, having their entrances close 

 together (fig. 7). '- 



If_^tracted honey is ' being pro- 

 duced tiie parenl: colony and the 

 swarin can be reunited a day or two 

 later by first destroying all the- queen 

 cells in the parent colony, then plac- 

 ing the-hlvei body coptaining it (with- 

 out bottoipaTor cover) on top of the 

 supers on the new swarm in the same 

 manner as an additional super. In 

 this way the parent colony and the 

 swarm are in the same hive, forming 

 a single colony, the queen and the 

 new brood chamber being below the 



