ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. • 187 



prime, and these old queens may die when there are no 

 eggs in the hive to enable the bees to replace them, and 

 thus the whole colony will perish. 



If the bee-keeper wishes to winter only a certain number 

 of stocks, I will, in another place, show him a way in which 

 this can be done, so as to obtain more honey from them, 

 than from an equal number kept on the non-swarming plan, 

 while at the same time, they may all be maintained in a 

 state of the highest health and vigor. 



I shall now describe a method of artificial swarming^ 

 which may be successfully practiced with almost any hive, 

 by those who have sufficient experience in the management 

 of bees. 



About the time that natural swarming may be expected, 

 a populous hive, rich in stores is selected, and what I shall 

 call a forced swarm is obtained from it, by the following 

 process. Choose that part of a pleasant day, say from 10 

 A. M. to 2 P. M., when the largest number of bees are 

 abroad in the fields ; if any bees are clustered in front of 

 the hive, or on the bottom-board, puff among them a few 

 whiffs of smoke from burning rags or paper, so as to 

 force them to go up among the combs. This can be 

 done with greater ease, if the hive is elevated, by small 

 wedges, about one quarter of an inch above the bottom- 

 board. Have an empty hive or box in readiness, the diam- 

 eter of which is as nearly as possible, the same with that 

 of the hive from which you intend to drive the swarm. 

 Lift the hive very gently, and without the slightest jar, 

 from its bottom-board ; invert it and carry it in the same 

 careful manner, about a rod from its old stand, as bees 

 are always much more inclined to be peaceable, when 

 removed a short distance, than when any operation is per- 

 formed on th^ familiar spot. If the hive is carefully 



