124 HANDY BOOK OF BEES. 



tlie hive ready for them, the calico meanwhile being spread 

 over the old hive. The swarm is now placed three or six 

 feet to the right, and the mother hive as far to the left of 

 the spot or stand on which it stood before. Both are 

 covered, and the work is done. How easy and simple 

 this work is ! how soon over, and how natural it appears ! 

 It is just about as easily done as shaking a natural swarm 

 from a branch into an empty hive. And look at the ad- 

 vantages : the bees are not allowed to waste their time in 

 clustering about the door of the hive before swarming, 

 and this clustering, in some cases and seasons, continues 

 for weeks. The artificial system prevents this waste of 

 precious time. Again, the bee-keeper can use it at his 

 convenience — morning, noon, or evening, and when there 

 is the appearance of a continuation of fine weather. It is 

 a great advantage to a swarm to get three or four fine days 

 after being put into an empty hive. In the chapter on 

 feeding bees, the advantage of attending to young swarms 

 in showery weather will be pointed out. Where swarms 

 are taken off, there is a greater certainty of getting second 

 swarms, and this is an important affair in an apiary of 

 large hives, for in a honey season large hives that do not 

 send out second colonies become far too heavy for stock- 

 hives. In mentioning the advantage of second swarms, I 

 , am aware that the great bulk of English apiarians do not 

 agree to what we say ; but we are fuUy convinced that 

 as soon as they adopt larger hives, and seek the largest 

 quantity of honey possible from them, they will consider 

 second swarms an advantage, and that not a smaU one. 



Many other favourable views of the advantages of arti- 

 ficial swarming could be presented here, but we think that 

 the fact of its answering as well as natural swarming, and 

 that it can be done in a few minutes by business or work- 

 ing men in the cool of the day, after labour has been laid 



