172 MANUAL OP THE APIARY. 



matter becomes very simple, in fact, so much simplified that 

 were there no other argument, this would be sufficient to 

 recommend the practice of cutting the queen's wing. 

 Now, if several swarms cluster together, we have not 

 to separate them, they will separate of themselves and 

 return to their old home. To migrate without the queen 

 means death, and life is sweet even to bees, and is not 

 to be willingly given up except for home and kin- 

 dred. Neither has the apiarist to climb trees, to secure his 

 bees from bushy trunks, from off the lattice-work or pickets 

 of his fence, from the very top of a tall, slender, fragile fruit 

 tree, or other most inconvenient places. Nor will he even 

 be tempted to' pay his money for patent hivers. He knows 

 his bees will return to their old quarters, so he is not 

 perturbed by the fear of loss, or plans to capture the unap- 

 proachable. It requires no effort " to possess his soul in 

 patience." If he wishes no increase, he steps out, takes 

 the queen by the remaining wings, as she emerges from 

 the hive, soon after the bees commence their hilarious leave- 

 taking, puts her in a cage, opens the hive, destroys, or, if he 

 wishes to use them, cuts out the queen cells as already 

 described (page 167), gives more room — either by adding 

 boxes or taking out some of the frames of brood, as they may 

 well be spared, places the cage enclosing the queen under the 

 quilt, and leaves the bees to return at their pleasure. At 

 night-fall the queen is liberated, and very likely the swarm- 

 ing fever subdued for the season. 



If it is desired to hive the absconding swarm with a nucleus 

 colony, exchange the places of the old hive %)ntaining the 

 caged queen, and the nucleus, to which the swarm will then 

 come. Remove queen-cells from the old hives as before, give 

 some of the combs of brood to the nucleus, which is now a 

 full colony, and empty frames, with comb or foundation 

 starters, or, if you have them, empty combs to both, liberate 

 the queen at night and all is well, and the apiarist rejoices in 

 a new colony. If the apiarist has neglected to form nuclei, 

 and so has no extra queens — and this is a neglect— andi 

 wishes to hive his swarm separately, he places his caged queen 

 in an empty hive, with which he replaces the old hive till the 

 bees return, then this new hive, with queen and bees, and, 



