140 HANDY BOOK OF BEES. 



ate them is rather difficult. Some of the extensive bee- 

 keepers of America use "swarm-catchers" to prevent such 

 unions. These swarm-catchers are about 12 inches square 

 at the end, and 4 or 5 feet long. Four posts about one 

 inch square, fastened as a frame and covered with muslin 

 or other thin cloth, may be termed "the American swarm- 

 catcher," and is simply a square sack of thin materials. 

 Well, when one swarm is half or wholly on the wing, and 

 another commences to issue, the sack or swarm-catcher is 

 placed around the door of the hive, and the swarm rushes 

 into it, and may be hived as convenience may dictate. 



But two swarms united may be sejjarated — that is to say, 

 the two queens may be caught and put into separate hives, 

 and the bees divided between them. There are various 

 ways of doing this, all of which will answer if done with 

 a skilful hand. The man who can swarm bees artificially 

 has experience and ingenuity enough to divide and sub- 

 divide swarms as much as he likes. The man who has 

 not courage to do this will let both swarms remain to- 

 gether. If separation be attempted, it should be done as 

 soon after swarming as possible, otherwise one of the 

 queens will be destroyed. 



AVhen two swarms belonging to different people unite 

 and cannot be separated, the one who retains the swarm 

 should allow the other about half value — say 10s. for a 

 20s. swarm, for it is of less value in its united state than 

 when separate and single. 



In natural swarming, the old queen goes with the first 

 swarm, and leaves behind her in the old hive eggs or 

 grubs in royal cells. "What happens 1 As soon as the 

 queens come to perfection the piping commences, and 

 lasts for three days and nights. If the bees determine 

 not to send off a second swarm, the piping is stopped, and 

 all the surplus queens killed and cast out. 



