CHAPTER IV 



UNDESIRED SWARMS 



It sometimes happens that some particular stock will 

 swarm in spite of all precautions to the contrary. 

 Various methods of dealing with such undesired swarms 

 may be adopted. 



1. Return the swarm to the parent stock on the 

 evening of the day the swarm issued, having first cut 

 out all queen cells but one in the parent stock, and 

 also having searched for and destroyed the old queen 

 in the swarm. Until the new queen is hatched, mated, 

 and laying, the population of the hive is necessarily 

 diminishing, with consequent loss of surplus honey. 



2. Hive the swarm in a new hive fitted with full 

 sheets of foundation, and placed on the site of the 

 parent stock. This latter may be broken up into 

 nuclei or otherwise dealt with. Supers, if any, should 

 be removed and placed in the new hive. All the old 

 bees from the parent stock will fly back to their old 

 location, and thus augment the swarm. This method 

 is to be preferred to the previous one, as entailing less 

 interruption of work. But even then we have to wait 

 three weeks before the new brood hatches. 



3. Secure the swarm and run it into a new hive placed 

 exactly on the site of the parent stock, moving the latter 

 a very little to one side, and turning it round, so that 

 the entrance points the opposite way. By this means all 

 the old bees will very soon join the swarm. Also 

 transfer supers (should there happen to be any) to the 



56 



