19 



Swarming 



Swarming is the result of a prosperous condition at the 

 proper season of year. With the warm days of spring, the 

 queen begins laying and, as natural pollen and nectar increases, 

 the queen increases the number of eggs from a few hundred to 

 as many as three thousand in twenty-four houis. While only 

 the better queens attain the higher number, probably many 

 queens reach nearly two thousand. 



The brood combs soon become filled with honey, pollen and 

 brood in all stages of development, and the queen is restricted 

 for room to lay at a time when nature prompts her to do her 

 best. (Plenty of super room given at this time and the removal 

 of combs of hatching brood to be replaced with full sheets of 

 foundation, a few at a time, does much to prevent swarming). 



The bees start queen cells, the queen deposits eggs in them 

 and in eight or nine days, sealed queen cells are present. If 

 the weather is favorable, the swarm issues. At first, only a few 

 bees appear marching out of the entrance, apparently with 

 minds and hearts fixed on some one thing. These are followed 

 rapidly by ever increasing iniumbers until it looks like a stam- 

 pede. Thousands are in the air and still they come as though 

 the last bee meant to leave the parent hive for good and all. 

 In a few minutes they begin to cluster and settle down on the 

 branch or trunk of a tree, a fence rail, or almost any nearby 

 place which may appeal to them. If trees are near, a branch 

 is most often selected and this is the most desirable place for 

 the bee-keeper. Soon, all is still and the cluster hangs quiet, 

 like some strange fruit which may have grown over night. 

 From five to fifteen minutes may pass before the cluster is 

 quiet. The cluster should then be shook down and hived as 

 soon as possible since they sometimes break clusters and leave 

 for parts unknown in half an hour. Usually they will remain 

 for an hour and sometimes longer but they are apt to depart 

 any time after one hour. Safety lies in not leaving them too 

 long. Ten to fifteen minutes after they settle down and are 

 quiet, they should be hived. For this reason, the hive for the 

 new swarm should always be ready and near at hand. 



While one may use starters in brood frames, it pays to use 

 full sheets of foundation well wired in. The foundation should 



