58 BEEKEEPING 



I have mentioned the fact that the 

 queens are produced only during the 

 swarming season. The reason for this is 

 that when a colony "swarms" the old 

 queen always leaves with the swarm and 

 some provision must be made for a succes- 

 sor to the absent monarch. The swarm is 

 merely an exodus of the older bees of the 

 colony in search of new quarters. It is 

 the natural way in which the bees increase 

 their numbers and the instinct is so strong 

 in them that the beekeeper must be on 

 the job constantly during the spring of 

 the year when honey supplies are piling 

 up in the storehouse. It is an instinct that 

 is emphasized by the crowded condition 

 of the hive at that season and often many 

 things can be done to discourage the idea. 

 These manipulations, however, will prop- 

 erly come in a later chapter. 



There are many things about bees that 

 are not known and probably never will be. 

 One of these is the ability of a bee to rec- 

 ognize a person who is afraid of being 



