70 HANDY BOOK OF BEES. 



CHAPTEE XIX. 



WHETHER IS THE SWAEMING OE NON-SWAEMING SYSTEM 

 OP MANAGEMENT THE MOST PEOFITABLE ? 



This question is of great importance, and therefore will 

 be considered as fully as our space will permit. The 

 swarming system of management is not only more profit- 

 able, but, taking a run of years, is better every way, and 

 more natural, than the system that prevents swarming. 



One large apiarian in this neighbourhood who uses 

 bar-frame hives, once said to us that " honey and swarms 

 could not be obtained from hives in the same year." We 

 venture to express a contrary opinion. During the last 

 few years our best swarms have risen in weight to a 

 greater figure than his non-swarmers ; nay, our old stock- 

 hives have been as heavy as his, which never swarmed at 

 all. All this has not been owing to their being allowed 

 to swarm, but partly to the size of the hives and our 

 system of management. 



But after making many trials, we can state that in fine 

 seasons for honey, good early swarms will, at the harvest- 

 time, weigh more than hives that never swarmed at all. 

 A swarm put into an empty hive is doubtless placed at 

 a great disadvantage, and apparently will never both fill 

 its hive with combs and gather as much honey as an old 

 one — a non-swarmer — already full of combs, weighing 

 30 or 40 lb. But wait a little : the swarm which is far 

 behind during the first ten days of its separate exist- 

 ence, afterwards rapidly gains upon the old one, and gene- 

 rally overtakes it when both weigh about 70 or 80 lb. 

 each ; the young one now goes ahead, sometimes at the 

 rate of 2 lb. for 1 lb. We have known many swarms 



