SWARMING.—Chapter XI. 
nights are cool, the hive entrance should be contracted so as to prevent the 
escape of heat. Otherwise the brood might be chilled and killed. A little 
later, as the “old” hive fills with new inhabitants and the combs become 
filled with brood and honey, a super may be required. In a good season 
some surplus of honey may be expected from this rejuvenated “old” col- 
ony, unless the swarm issued late. 
This method of handling a natural swarm, which has issued from a 
colony having a queen with clipped wings, is summed up in a few words: 
Find the clipped queen, cage her, remove the old hive to a new location, 
replace it with an empty hive containing frames of drawn comb or foun- 
dation, one of which should be replaced with a frame of honey if there is 
no honey flow on at the time; transfer the supers from the old to the new 
hive; place the caged queen at the entrance, and, as the swarming bees 
return to the new hive, liberate the queen, allowing her to enter with them. 
This plan of managing swarms is applicable only when swarming 
‘takes place at the beginning of or during the main honey flow, as in the 
white clover region. 
When swarming occurs some time before the main honey flow it is 
usually better to hive the swarm in a new location; and seven days later 
destroy all but one queen-cell in the parent colony, to prevent after-swarm- 
ing; then, when the honey flow begins, put supers on both hives. In this 
ease both the parent colony and the newly-hived colony would likely pro- 
duce a surplus of honey. 
Hiving Swarm Having Unclipped Queen, 
Suppose the swarm has issued from a colony whose queen’s wings are 
not clipped, and she accompanies the swarm in its flight and clustering. 
This presents quite a different problem from that of hiving the swarm 
whose queen has had her wings clipped and so is to be found near the en- 
trance of the parent hive. The swarming bees with their queen accom- 
panying them will not return to the hive of their own will, for their queen 
is not there. They are likely, at any time after clustering, to put off to a 
new home which “scout bees” have previously located, and so be lost to the 
beekeeper. This they may do within fifteen minutes after clustering, or 
they may remain clustered twenty-four hours or even longer. 
The beginner should have the same equipment ready, and exactly the 
same new and old hive arrangements made, as in the case of the swarm 
that issues from a hive whose queen has clipped wings. And don’t forget 
the smoker, as that now may become useful. One additional item of 
equipment is needed if the bees have clustered high up on some branch or 
shrub. If this bit of equipment be purchased in advance it will be a 
Manum swarming-device, which is a wire-cloth basket made in the shape 
of an inverted pyramid, and attached to a long rod or pole. It is a good 
thing for the beginner to have. But, not having one, let him attach an 
ordinary bushel or half-bushel basket to a crotch left at the top of a 
long pole so cut for the purpose. A loop of rope or strong cord attached 
to the handle of the basket can be slipped over one of the forks of the 
crotch at the end of the pole, thus allowing the basket to be easily de- 
tached. This contrivance is about as serviceable as any manufactured 
swarm-catching device. If the swarm has clustered somewhere low down, 
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