NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL INCREASE. 169 



abundiint box-room when limiting the number of frames, 

 constitutes its chief merit in this direction. The ability 

 to control the desire to swarm will be found in the meth- 

 ods to be practised, rather than in any particular form 

 of hive or mechanical device. 



METHODS. 



It is evident that swarming may be prevented, and yet 

 the coui-se pursued be very unsatisfactory. For instance, 

 a colony that had made fine progress in boxes, became 

 very populous, and attempted to swarm. I cut out all 

 queen-cells, and removed the queen. Now, I certainly 

 was master of the situation, as they did not attempt to 

 swiu'm again, until nine days later. But the amount of 

 work done in storing honey during this period, was incon- 

 siderable. The bees clung to the hive, seemingly waiting 

 until a queen could be reared to lead out a swarm. On 

 the ninth day I again removed queen-cells, and introduced 

 a young, prolific queen, with clipped wing. I closed the 

 hive, :md walked to another part of the yard, when I 

 turned and saw the swarm issuing. I caught the queen 

 as she came out, and caged her. 



Knowing that it would be undesirable to let them re- 

 turn to the old hive, I removed it to a distant stand and 

 put a new hive in its place, to which they might return. 

 This hive was furnished with empty frames, and the 

 young queen again given them. An hour later they made 

 another attempt, this time with the evident purpose of 

 leaving the vicinity, but finding that the queen did not 

 accompany them, again returned. I mention this in- 

 stance to show the necessity of action before the desire to 

 swarm is developed. I think the experience of many will 

 coincide with my own, that, as a rule, if hives are prop- 

 erly ventilated and shaded, with plenty of room for sur- 

 plus, and openings to boxes free :uid immediate, and am- 



