NATURAL SWARMING. 137 



on tlieir return attracts her into the hive. This may hap- 

 pen again and again ; hence these miscarriages. Such 

 queens are old, and will die soon. If a young virgin 

 queen could be obtained anywhere, it were wise to unite 

 her to the swarm rather than carry the old one to it. 

 Either old or young queen put into a hive with the swarm 

 will make it stay there. And if the old queen be found 

 below the flight-board or in front of it, and we have not 

 a young one to take her place, the better way is to put 

 her into the hive prepared for the swarm, and place it on 

 the old stand — removing the old hive for half an hour, or 

 tUl the bees have all returned. After the bees have gone 

 into the empty hive and found their queen, it can be 

 placed in any part of the garden, and the old one put 

 back to its original place. 



While a swarm is in the act of leaving the hive, there 

 sometimes comes a sudden change of the atmosphere. 

 The sun is clouded, the air chilled, rain may fall. The 

 bees already on wing cannot fly — they are all full of honey, 

 and come to the ground in thousands. (Bees are unable 

 to carry such heavy loads in shady cold weather as they 

 carry in the sunshine.) If a heavy shower follow, 

 thousands upon thousands never rise. The attempt to 

 swarm at an unfavourable moment is often disastrous. 

 The skill of the bee-keeper can do little in such a case. 

 If a small cluster reach the place chosen bythe bees, they 

 should be brought back and thrown on the front of the 

 old hive. If the sun shine out warmly in the afternoon, 

 or even next day, many of the bees which fell will rise 

 again and go back. 



Swarms generally alight on a branch of a tree or bush, 

 or hedge, if either of these grow near the hives whence 

 they issue. Where there are no trees or hedges, they 

 wUl choose to settle on a stone or post in a fence, or a 



