NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL INCREASE. 163 
prosperous season, the first swarm is not kept back by 
foul weather, the first of the young queens in the old 
colony is ready to emerge from the cell in seven or eight 
days. The second swarm may be expected in about two 
days thereafter. On the morning of that day, or the 
evening previous, by putting your car close to the hive, 
and listening attentively a few minutes, you will hear a 
distinct piping noise like the word ‘‘ peep,” uttered several 
times in succession, and followed by an interval of silence. 
Two or more may be heard at the same time ; one will be 
shrill and fine, another hoarse, short, and quick. These 
notes are probably never heard except when the hive con- 
tains a plurality of queens. I never failed to hear it, 
previous to any after-swarm, whenever I listened. 
PREVENTING AFTER-SWARMS. 
A very decided improvement in practice, for those who 
have hitherto allowed their bees to swarm at will, is to 
permit but one swarm to issue. As this will, in an aver- 
age season, give a satisfactory increase, and furnish more 
or less surplus, it will, to many, prove a desirable method. 
I shall therefore give directions for preventing after- 
swarms. When the first swarm issues, hive it as just de- 
scribed. Twenty-four hours later, open the hive from 
which it came, and remove all the queen-cells. Smoke 
the bees thoroughly, and introduce a laying queen, as di- 
rected in Chap. VIII. Examine the hive a few days later, 
to ascertain if the queen has been accepted, when, if no 
queen-cells. have been overlooked, swarming will usu- 
ally be ended for the season. 
Another method which I prefer, is to prepare a nucleus, 
as elsewhere mentioned, in the hive which is to receive 
the swarm. With this method, the queens should first 
have their wings clipped. When the swarm starts, go to 
the hive, and watch for the queen. Her wing being 
