SWARMING AND HIVING. 49 
in ten minutes or less from the time they leave the hive, 
they settle in a cluster on some object, generally within a 
half-dozen rods of the hive. And they would have done 
so in this case if no noise had been made. ‘The noise did 
not affect them in the least. 
Now the bees are to be hived, and we will see how it 
is done in the old way. 
The bees in this case have clustered on a limb of a 
valuable pear tree. “Very sorry they have pitched 
there,” says a man of perfect knowledge in bee-keeping, 
“T dislike to injure that tree, but there is no help for 
it.” 
But first a hive must be prepared. It is not quite 
ready. (This is bad management.) It must be washed 
out thoroughly on the inside with salt and water, and 
rubbed over with some sweet scented herbs. A bottom 
board must be got ready, etc., etc. At last the hive is 
ready. Now this wise bee-keeper places a table near 
where the swarm clustered, sets hiszhive on the table, 
raises one edge four or six inches, takes his saw—Oh, it 
is a pity to cut that nice limb full of fruit from the pear 
tree, but it must be done, thinks this man of perfection 
in bee management. 
He grasps the limb firmly near the cluster of bees. 
They are very cross and uneasy. They have been clus- 
tered an hour or more, while he has been getting his 
hive ready. He saws off the limb on which the bees are 
hanging, and places it carefully, with the bees adhering, 
on the table, by the side of the hive, covers all very 
