20 THE APIAEYj OB, 



a cell at a time : these eggs are nursed up into a numerous progeny 

 by the other inhabitants of the hive. It is at this time, when 

 hundreds of young bees are daily coming into existence, that the 

 collateral boxes are of the utmost importance — both to the bees 

 domiciled in them, and to their proprietors ; for when the brood 

 become perfect bees in a common cottager's hive, a swarm is the 

 necessary consequence. The queen, accompanied by a vast number 

 of her subjects, leaves the colony, and seeks some other place in 

 which to carry on the work nature has assigned her. But as 

 swarming may by proper precaution and attention to this mode of 

 management generally be prevented, it is good practice to do so ; 

 because the time necessarily required to establish a new colony, even 

 supposing the cottager succeeds in saving the swarm, would other- 

 wise be employed in collecting honey, and in enriching the old hive. 

 Here, then, is one of the features of this plan — ^'yl., the prevention 

 of swarming. When symptoms of swarming begin to present 

 themselves, which may be known by an unusual noise, the appear- 

 ance of more than common activity among the bees in the middle 

 box, and, above all, by a sudden rise of temperature, which will be 

 indicated by the quicksilver in the thermometer rising to 75 degrees 

 as scaled on the thermometer in the box ; when these symptoms are 

 apparent, the bee master may conclude that additional space is 

 required. The top sliding tin should now be withdrawn from under 

 the bell glass, which will open to the bees a new store-room ; this they 

 will soon occupy, and fill with combs and honey of pure whiteness, 

 if the weather be fine to allow of their uninterrupted labour. It 

 may be well here to mention, that if the glass have a small piece of 

 clean worker comb attached to the perforated ventilating tube, the bees 

 will more speedily commence their operations in it. When the glass is 

 nearly filled, which in a good season will be in a very short space of 

 time, the bees will again require increased accommodation ; this will 

 also be indicated by the thermometer further rising to 85 ; the end box, 

 as thereon marked, must now be given them. Previously to drawing 

 up a slide to enlarge their crowded house, the manager should take 

 off the empty end box he intends to open to them, carefully and 

 thoroughly cleanse it, and then smear or dress the inside of it with 

 a little liquid honey. Thus prepared, he must return the box to its 

 proper situation, and then withdraw the sliding tin that hitherto has 

 cut it off from the middle box ; by so doing the store-room is again 



