172 THE BEB keeper's MANUAL. 



5. Bees, as is well known, often refuse to swarm at all, 

 and most of the swarming hives are so constructed, that 

 proper accommodations for storing honey, cannot be fur- 

 nished to the super-abundant population. Under such cir- 

 cumstances, they often hang for several months, in black 

 masses on the outside of the hive ; and are worse than use- 

 less, as they consume the honey which the others have 

 gathered. In my hives, an abundance of room for storing 

 honey can always be given them, not all at once, so as to 

 prevent them from swarming, but by degrees, as their neces- 

 sities require : so that if they are indisposed, for any reason 

 to swarm, they may have suitable receptacles easily ac- 

 cessible, and furnished withguide comb to make them more 

 attractive, in which to store up any amount of honey that 

 they can possibly collect. 



6. In the common hives, but little can be done to dis- 

 lodge the bee-moth, when once it has gained the mastery of 

 the bees ; whereas in mine, it can be most effectually root- 

 ed out when it has made a lodgment. (See Remarks on 

 Bee-Moth.) 



7. In the common hives, nothing can be done except with 

 great difficulty, to remove the old queen when her fertility is 

 impaired ; whereas in my hives, (as will be shown in the 

 Chapter on Artifical Swarming,) this can easily be effected, 

 so that an Apiary may constantly contain a stock of young 

 queens, in the full vigor of their re-productive powers. 



I trust that these remarks will convince intelligent Apia- 

 rians, that I have not spoken boastfully or at random, in as- 

 serting that natural swarming can be carried on with much 

 greater certainty and success, by the use of my hives, than 

 in any other way ; and that they will see that many of the 

 most perplexing embarrassments and mortifying discour- 

 agements under which they have hitherto prosecuted it» 

 pnay be effectually remedied. 



