ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. 169 



stituting; an empty frame for one with old black comb, 

 gra:dually moving- the frames towards each other. By 

 taking two away in this manner in the spring or summer 

 of every season, the combs in course of five years may 

 all be reconstructed^ and fresh clean ones be secured 

 for breeding- in, instead of the old black ones that other- 

 ■wise would remain as long as the stock could live in the 

 hive. 



ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. 



Every bee-keeper knows the anxiety he feels in watch- 

 ing and expecting- a swarm to come forth, fearfiil lest 

 his favourites should, "like riches, take wing and fly 

 aw^," — a mischance that it isdesii'able to prevent. In 

 our description of natural swarming, this will be found 

 fUly treated of; we propose here merely to point out 

 how, with the movable frames, this work of Nature 

 miay be assisted — ^we say assisted, because artificial 

 swarming should, as nearly as possible, resemble natural 

 swarming ; that is, it should be performed at the same 

 fime of the year,, and when the populous state of the 

 hive makes a division desirable. This is- easily known 

 to be the case when bees hang out in clusters- at the 

 entrance, wasting their time in enforced idleness instead 

 of being abroad gathering honey. It is also necessary 

 that the hive contain drones. 



When such, is, the state of the hive, the facility of 



