ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. 173 



may be obtained, by placing the new swarm for a day 

 or two to the entrance used by the bees when with tiie 

 old stock, and the old stock may be removed to an 

 approximate entrance. Some apiarians recommend that 

 a space be left between the two hives, by pladng the 

 hives on the right and left of the old entrance, in order 

 that too large a proportion of bees should not enter the 

 new hive at the old position, to the impoverishment of 

 the other. But we have found the mode adopted vnth 

 the cottage-hive answer so well, that we see no reason 

 for recommending any different plan. 



It is the office of the bee-master to asast, not in the 

 least degree to oppose, nature. We know that wh«i a 

 natural swarm issues forth, it has its impregnated queen, 

 and, when located in a new abode, it commences building 

 worker-combs, leaving the building of the few drone- 

 comls to a later period; but if a division of the hive 

 should be made, by putting half the conibs in one hive 

 and half in another, the hive that is either queenless or 

 contains an embryo queen will busy itself with building 

 only drone-comb ; thus a number of receptacles for use- 

 less bees is provided, which tends to weakness, and 

 eventually to loss of the hive. 



In the plan we have recommended for forming two 

 separate families, we nearly follow the natural state of 

 things ; the comb that the queen is upon is the only 

 one that is taken from the hive, and this vacancy should 

 be filled in by moving the frames together, so as to leave 



