SWARMING. 23 



cate that swarming is a law amongst bees — ^it is an instinct 

 of their being, and tends to their preservation. 



In spring months, hives, generally speaking, have not 

 much honey in them. The combs afford plenty of scope 

 for hatching brood ; and young bees are born much faster 

 than they die. Hives soon become very full. Sometimes 

 clusters of bees, like bunches of grapes, hang outside. 

 They are ready to swarm. Preparations are made for the 

 important event. The bees well know, long before it 

 comes to pass, that the queen (call her the old or mother 

 queen) goes with the first swarm from every hive. What 

 about a successor to the throne 1 When the swarm shall 

 have gone, there will be no queen, no fresh-laid eggs. 

 These wonderful creatures know all this, and therefore 

 never fail to set eggs in royal cells, and thus have young 

 queens on the way when the first swarm is sent off. 

 Generally the eggs for young queens are set about four 

 days before swarming takes place. Inclement weather 

 may prevent the swarm leaving at the usual time ; and 

 therefore the young queens may be nearly ripe, and ready 

 to leave their cells, ere the old queen with the swarm 

 leaves the hive. Sometimes these young queens are torn 

 out of their cells, by reason of wet or cold weather ; and 

 when this takes place, swarming is postponed for a week 

 or two. The weather may become favourable, and a 

 second time preparations be made for swarming. As the i 

 time draws near, scouts are sent to find a place for the 

 swarm to go to. Like a queen wasp in spring, seeking a 

 place to build her nest, these scouts may be seen going 

 from bush to bush, and along the hedgerows in. the neigh- 

 bourhood of their hives. When the spot is fixed on, 

 there is, in some way or other, a consultation about it in 

 the hive, for messengers may be seen going straight to 

 and from the place some short time before the swarm j 



