ITATIJEA.L AND ARTIFICIAL INCKEASB. 161 



But should you discover the bees running to and fro in 

 great commotion, although quiet at the entrance, you 

 should lose no time in sprinkling those outside with water. 

 They will instantly enter the hive to avoid the apprehend- 

 ed shower. In half an hour they will be ready to start 

 again, during which time the others may be secured. 



When any of the subsequent swarms are disposed to 

 unite with those already hived, throw a sheet over to keep 

 them out. An assistant is very useful at such times ; one 

 can watch symptoms, and detain the swarms, while an- 

 other hives them. Occasionally, when waiting for a swarm 

 to start, two may do so simultaneously. Whenever a part 

 was already on the wing, I never succeeded in retarding 

 the issue ; it is then useless to try to drive or coax them 

 back. To succeed, the means must be applied before any 

 part of the swarm leaves. Two or more swarms will clus- 

 ter together and not quarrel, if put into one hive. 



SBPAEATING SWARMS. 



Spread a sheet on the ground, shake the bees upon the 

 center of it, and set an empty hive each side of the mass ; 

 if too many are disposed to enter one hive, set it farther 

 off. They should be made to enter rapidly. There are 

 even chances of getting a queen in each hive. The hives 

 should now be placed twenty feet apart ; if each has a 

 queen, the bees will remain quiet, and the work is done ; 

 but, if not, the bees in the one destitute will soon mani- 

 fest it by running about in all directions, and when the 

 queen cannot be found, will leave for the other hive, where 

 there are doubless two ; a few going at a time. In this 

 case set the queenless portion one side, turn the remain- 

 der out upon the sheet, and let them enter as before, keep- 

 ing watch for the queens, which indeed should be borne 

 in mind from the beginning. As the number of bees 

 is much lessened, the chances of seeing the queen arg 



