240 NATURAL SWARMING. 



''under protest," and soon begin raising queen-cells to replace 

 her, but the abundant honey harvest causes them to change 

 their preparations, and they swarm with this introduced 

 queen. A hive which has been made queenless during the 

 honey crop, may swarm for the same reasons as soon as the 

 young queens are old enough. 



466. The prevention of natural swarming, when comb- 

 honey is raised in sections (722), is not so successful, be- 

 cause the Apiarist cannot furnish his bees with empty combs. 

 But very good results can be obtained, by following as nearly 

 as possible all the directions above given. 



4:6'i'. As the queen cannot get through an opening 5-32 

 of an mch high— which will just pass a loaded worker, if the 

 entrance to the hive be contracted to this dimension, she will 

 not be able to leave with a swarm. 



This is done with drone or queen-traps, perforated zinc, 

 entrance-blocks, and other fixtures (191). 



This method of preventing swarming requires great accu- 

 racy of measurement, for a very trifling deviation from the 

 dimensions given will either shut out the loaded workers, or 

 let out the queen. It should be used only to imprison old 

 queens; for young ones, if confined to the hive, cannot be 

 impreg-nated (120). These fixtures, if firmly fastened, will 

 exclude mice from the hive in the Winter. When used to 

 prevent all swarming, it will be necessary to adjust them a 

 little after sunrise and remove them before sunset, to take out, 

 or allow the bees t<:i carry out any drones that have died. 



Fig. 97. 



ENTRANCE GUARD. 



We have seen colonies kill their queen, and raise another, 

 because she had thus been unable to follow the swarm, hence, 



