ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. 69 



syrup. Now search for the comb on which the Queen 

 is ; having found it, transfer with any more frames of 

 brood that can be spared to the new hive, and having 

 put in their places the remaining frames, furnished 

 with clean empty Worlcer combs, if possible, stand this 

 hive in the situation of the full one ; the returning Bees 

 will people it and form a swarm. Another stand must 

 be found for the old hive, a good many of whose Bees 

 will desert it and tend to strengthen the new colony, 

 headed by their old Queen, but enough will remain to 

 carry on the business of the hive. We may often easily 

 and economically make a new swarm by abstracting one 

 or more combs of sealed brood, with all the Bees upon 

 them, from a number of hives, putting all these into the 

 new hive and confining them (properly ventilated) for a 

 few days. Many of the bees even then will fly^to their 

 old home, but in their place others will have hatched. 

 Before shutting them up, it is advisable to sprinkle them 

 with a little scented syrup, or a fight might take place ; 

 but it does not often occur. Great care should be 

 observed that no Queen is taken with the combs, or the 

 strange Bees would probably kill her. The depriva- 

 tion of one or two combs of brood will scarcely affect 

 the old hives, if they are as strong as they should be ; 

 and if clean, empty combs be put in their places, the 

 Queens will probably at once fill the cells with eggs. 

 If any sealed Queen cells are known to be, or can be 

 found, in any other hive, one may be given with advantage 

 to each stock deprived of its Queen ; time, which is all 

 important at this season, is thus saved. By making one 

 artificial swarm a week or ten days before the others, 

 there may in the swarmed stock generally be found 

 sufficient Queen cells to supply many hives ; and in case 

 a young Queen should emerge, she may be preserved 



