NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL INCREASE. 169 
abundant box-room when limiting the number of frames, 
constitutes its chief merit in this direction. The ability 
to control the desire to swarm will be found in the meth- 
ods to be practised, rather than in any particular form 
of hive or mechanical device. 
METHODS. 
It is evident that swarming may be prevented, and yet 
the course pursued be very unsatisfactory. For instance, 
a colony that had made fine progress in boxes, became 
very populous, and attempted to swarm. I cut out all 
queen-cells, and removed the queen. Now, I certainly 
was master of the situation, as they did not attempt to 
swarm again, until nine days later. But the amount of 
work done in storing honey during this period, was incon- 
siderable. The bees clung to the ‘hive, seemingly waiting 
until a queen could be reared to lead ont aswarm. On 
the ninth day I again removed queen-cells, and introduced. 
a young, prolific queen, with clipped wing. I closed the 
hive, and walked to another part of the yard, when I 
turned and saw the swarm issuing. I caught the queen 
as she came out, and caged her. 
Knowing that it would be undesirable to let them re- 
turn to the old hive, I removed it to a distant stand and 
put a new hive in its place, to which they might return. 
This hive was furnished with empty frames, and the 
young queen again given them. An hour later they made 
another attempt, this time with the evident purpose of 
leaving the vicinity, but finding that the queen did not 
accompany them, again returned. I mention this in- 
stance to show the necessity of action before the desire to 
swarm is developed. I think the experience of many will 
coincide with my own, that, as a rule, if hives are prop- 
erly ventilated and shaded, with plenty of room for sur- 
plus, and openings to boxes free and immediate, and am- 
8 
