162 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



the full slreng-th of the colony. On the other hand, when only 

 two frames are imt up I Uiink the colony is more likely to 

 continue the rest of the season without swarming. 



GIVING NUCLEUS TO SWARM. 



A plan that has seemed to be as satisfactory as any other, 

 although it is not always convenient to use it, is upon the issuing 

 of a swarm to pick up the queen so as to have her out of the 

 way, remove the old hive from the stand and place on the stand 

 a nucleus in a regular hive. The supers are put upon this 

 hive, and the swarm is left to return at its leisure. This takes 

 little time and trouble, and there is no danger of further 

 swarming. 1 have seen it stated that when the swarm returns 

 (he queen of the nucleus may be killed, Ijut that does not occur 

 " in this locality." 



PREVENTION OF SWARMING. 



I don't i|uits like that heading. It may be understood to 

 mean that 1 am entirely successful in jirotitably preventing 

 swarming, and I am not certain that I have yet attained to that. 

 I say profitably preventing it, for there might be such a thing 

 as preventing it in a way that would hardly ]iay. If a colony 

 disposed to swarm should be blown up with dynamite, it would 

 probably not swarm again, but its usefulness as a honey-gather- 

 ing institution would be somewhat impaired. Swarming might 

 also be prevented Ijy means of such character as to involve an 

 amount of trouble that would make it unprofitable", or it might 

 be prevented in such a way as to have a very unprofitable effect 

 upon the honeycrop. The thing I am after is profitable preven- 

 tion. 



NO DliLIOHT IN SW^ARMS. 



I have read of the great delight felt by the beekeeper at the 

 sight of an issuing swarm, the bees whirling and swirling in 

 delirious joy, but such things do not appeal to me. I do not 

 like swarming. I never did. I don't think I ever shall. In my 

 many years of beekeeping experience, I think I never looked 



