10 BEES FOE PLBASUEB AND PROFIT. 



the sides of the hive before they swarm ; but in a bar-frame 

 hive they seldom do this, the only sign of the approaching 

 swarm being that a number of bees — probably about a score — 

 will be observed standing about on the alighting-board, for 

 several days before the swarm issues, doing no work whatever. 

 It would appear that a kind of listlessness is prevalent at 

 swarming time amongst the bees, which at other times do not 

 waste a moment. 



The day being bright and warm, the bees gorge them- 

 selves with honey, and suddenly pour out of the hive in one 

 great stream, and circle round about the hive for a minute or 

 two, the joyful humming of the thousands of bees producing 

 a great noise. In a few minutes they will probably begin to 

 cluster in some bush or tree. The time that they remain after 

 they have settled varies greatly : sometimes they only stay for 

 a few minutes ; sometiines^very seldom^for a day or two. 

 It is not at all certain whether the bees always choose a new 

 home before they swarm, or whether they sometimes do not 

 send out scouts to find one till after the swarm has left the 

 hive. It occasionally happens that the bees make straight for 

 theii- new home without waiting to cluster ; but it is quite easy 

 to make a swarm settle by directing a shower of water from 

 a common garden syringe so that it will fall on them just like 

 rain; by this method they can be made to cluster in a few 

 minutes, and thus we never need lose any swarms. 



A first swarm usually issues between ten and one o'clock, 

 seldom earlier or later. 



Eight or nine days after the first swarm leaves the hive, the 

 fii'st young queen wUl hatch out. Should the bees determine 

 to send off a second swarm, they will guard the queen cells 

 from her, as her natural instinct would be to kill all her rivals ; 

 and when a day or two old this young queen will lead off a 

 second swarm. A second swarm often contains several young 

 queens hatched out about the same time. When the swarm is 

 hived, the bees will soon kill all but one. 



The day following that on which the second swarm issued 

 from the hive, a third swarm or " cast " will sometimes issue ; 

 and this is occasionally followed by a fourth swarm, though 

 this occurs but very seldom. 



All these after-swarms are much less particular than first 

 swarms as to the time of day or kind of weather when they 

 issue, as they often come off in the afternoon, and in weather 



