THE BEGINNER IN BEE CULTURE. If 



If a swarm should cluster on a high limb and no swarm catching device is- 

 on hand, a simple and effective method is to strap an open ended kerosene tin 

 to a long thin saplinsr, and work the edge across the swarm so as to out most 

 of the hees into the tin ; then lower and tip the bees into the prepared hive. 

 Repeat the operation, and tip the next lot at the entrance. 



Swarming with Clipped Queens. 



It must be considered in' the case of a clipped queen, that the swarm will 

 not cluster for the reason that the queen cannot accompany them for more 

 than a yard or two from the entrance. Therefore when the swarm issues the 

 apiarist will find the queen and cage her. The flying swarm will then be 

 somewhat under control. The caged queen should be placed in a shaded 

 spot — the pocket for convenience. 



The apiarist should get quickly to work and select a frame of brood con- 

 taining some eggs and larvae. This is then put in the prepared hive, in the 

 centre of the frames containing full sheets of comb foundation. If desired, 

 this brood can be taken from the parent colony, providing there are no queen 

 cells on the brood. Next remove the parent colony and place the now 

 prepared hive on the stand that was occupied by the parent colony, with the 

 caged queen at the entrance. The flying swarm will soon discover that their 

 queen is not among them, and will return to what is now the prepared hive. 

 The supers from the parent colony can be placed on the new hive, but they 

 must be. above an excluder and contain no brood. Be sure and give ample 

 accommodation and so save discontent. The queen can be liberated when 

 the bees settle down, which will be about one hour later. 



The parent colony is put on a new stand, and if the queen cells on the 

 brood are from a good Italian strain that has been forced to swarm through 

 lack of sufficient accommodation, then the cells when ripe can be made use of, 

 leaving with the colony one cell selected for size and appearance. Only one 

 cell is left in this case to minimise the risk of after swarms. If increase is 

 not desired, remove the parent colony and place the swarm on the stand, 

 treating as previously mentioned. 



After Swarms. 



"After swarms" are a second issue from a colony, and are accompanied by 

 one or more virgin queens which have issued from cells raised during the 

 preparation for the first swarm. It is advisable to return the bees to their 

 home, and this is done by driving them through an excluder to find the queen 

 or queens, which must be removed. The parent colony should be inspected, 

 and all queen cells destroyed, and then the best-looking virgin should be 

 allowed to run into the hive. 



Absconding Swarms. 



It is not unusual for an apiarist to have one or two colonies become dis- 

 Hatisfied and desert their homes ; this is more likely to happen during spring. 

 The bees issue and cluster in a similar manner to a natural swarm. Their 

 home should be made as comfortable as possible, with ample stores, and the 

 swarm then returned. In the case of a clipped queen, the work can be 

 carried out while the swarm is flying. Do not experiment with killing the 

 queen and shaking the bees with a weak colony, for they will often cause the 

 queen to be destroyed. 

 + 79779-B 



