and its Economic Management. 37 



brushed into the sleep, all the rest will follow. On no account, 

 in any instance, expect the bees will go up of their own accord 

 into a hive placed above the cluster ; it will only cause waste 

 of time and disappointment ; it has to be done, therefore carry 

 the thing through at once. 



Hatching of the Young Queens. 



In about nine days from the issue of the first swarm, one 

 of the young queens bites her way out of the cell, leaving the 

 cap hanging attached at a part of its edge ; this covering will 

 sometimes get back into its original place and be again sealed 

 by the bees, and should a worker be in, clearing out the residue 

 of food at the time, its fate is sealed in a double sense. Such 

 occurrences, simple to a careful observer, have at times given 

 rise to unfounded theories ; but at the same time it shows 

 how it is quite possible to leave a useless queen cell in the 

 hive when cutting out all but one to prevent after- swarming : 

 a wanton waste of time, by the way, which cannot be 

 tolerated in a modern apiary. 



As a rule the first hatched young queen leads off, or rather 

 goes with the second swarm ; though the after, and sometimes 

 even the second swarm, is accompanied by more than one 

 virgin queen. Though I am well aware that such queens will, 

 if placed together, immediately fight until one receives its 

 instantaneous death wound ; when several accompany a 

 swarm, or in case two or more swarms settle together, each 

 having a fertile queen, the bees themselves settle the matter 

 by "balling" those not required. After the hive is so weakened 

 that the bees know it is useless to attempt to swarm again, or 

 should the weather be unfavourable, the queens still unborn 

 are destroyed, as I have reason to believe, by the workers 

 tearing open the side of the cells and there stinging their 

 helpless victims, or tearing them out piecemeal. 



Within seven days after the issue of the first swarm there 

 are no more uncapped larvae, and therefore no more feeding 



