Preventing Increase of Colonies. 255 
P.M.; or in very hot weather from 6 A. M. to 4 P. M., or 
even later. Of course there is relief on rainy days. 
Farmers can keep many swarms and attend to their farm 
work as usual. They have only to have a boy or girl to 
catch and cage the queens—the “gude wife” may do this 
—and let him know at noon or night what colonies have 
swarmed. When a colony swarms, the impulse seems to 
be general, and often a half dozen colonies will be on the 
wing in atrice. These will very often, generally, in truth, 
cluster together. In this case, to find the queens is well 
nigh impossible, and we can only divide up the bees into 
suitable colonies, and as soon as we find any starting queen- 
cells, give them a queen. Of course we may lose every 
queen but one. In view of this trouble, and the expense 
and doubtful practicality of the various swarm catchers in 
vogue, I would say clip the queen’s wing. 
If no more colonies are desired, the swarm may be given 
to a colony which has previously swarmed, after removing 
from the latter all queen-cells, and adding to the room by 
putting on the sections, and removing some frames of brood 
to strengthen nuclei. These frames may be replaced with 
empty frames. We may even return the bees to their old 
home by taking the same precautionary measures, with a 
good hope that storing and not swarming will engage their 
attention in future; and if we exchange their position with 
that of a nucleus, we shall be still more likely to succeed 
in overcoming the desire to swarm; though some seasons, 
usually when honey is being gathered each day for long 
intervals, but not in large quantities, the desire and deter- 
mination of some colonies toswarm is implacable. Room, 
ventilation, changed position of hive, each and all will fail. 
Then we can do no better than to gratify the propensity 
by giving the swarm a new home, and make an effort 
TO PREVENT SECOND SWARMS. 
The Heddon method of preventing second swarms has 
already been explained. This method is valuable because it 
requires no looking up of queen-cells, and thus saves time. 
As already stated, the wise apiarist will always have on 
hand extra queens. Now, if he does not desire to form 
