192 THE BEE keeper's MANUAL. 



time of driving out the bees, I prefer to expel all that I can, 

 and to rely upon the bees returning from their gatherings, to 

 replenish the old stock. If the number appears to be too 

 small, I open temporarily the entrance of the hive contain- 

 ing the forced swarm, and permit as many as I judge best, 

 to come out and enter their old abode. It must here be 

 borne in mind, that bees which are thus ejected from a hive, 

 do not, in all respects, act like a natural swarm, which hav- 

 ing left the parent stock, of its own accord, never seeks, un- 

 less it has lost its queen, to return ; whereas, many of the 

 forced swarm, as soon as ihey leave the hive into which 

 they have been driven, will return to their former abode. 

 The same is true of bees which are moved to any distance not 

 far enough to be beyond the limits of their previous excursions 

 in search of food. If we could only make our bees when 

 moved, or forced to swarm, adhere to their hives as faith- 

 fully as a natural swarm, many difficulties which now per- 

 plex us, would be at once removed. 



Having ascertained that the parent hive contains a suffi- 

 cient number of bees to carry on operations, about sun-set, 

 after the bees are all at home, it may be removed to a new 

 stand, and the bees, after being supplied with water, must 

 be shut up, according to the directions previously given. If 

 the hive is so constructed that water cannot be conveniently' 

 given them, the following plan I have found to answer most 

 admirably. Bore a small hole towards the top on the fronii 

 side, and with a straw, water may be injected with scarcely 

 any trouble. A mouthful once or twice a day,_will be suffi'^ 

 cient. If the bees are confined without water, they will not 

 be able to prepare the food for the larvae, and multitudes of 

 them must necessarily perish. 



The expelled colony must be placed, on the same evening, 

 precisely where the hive from which they were driven 



