SWARMING. 219 



them to one of the old stocks ; they will immediately 

 enter without contention, and issue again in about nine 

 days, or as soon as a young queen is matured to go 

 with them. There may be an exception to this, of one 

 iri twenty. I would have recommended this course in 

 all cases of the kind, but there will be a loss of time 

 for the bees in the old stock ; because they are apt to 

 be rather idle, even when they might labor in the 

 boxes ; and here there is a loss of some eight or ten 

 days. The collections of a good swarm may be esti- 

 mated at least one pound a day, (often two or three.) 

 A swarm that just fills the hive, would make at least 

 ten pounds box-honey, if it could have been located 

 ten days earlier. Still another method may be adopted 

 when you have a very small swarm, one that is not 

 likely to fill the hive, and has not 'been hived more 

 than two or three days. A third of your two swarms 

 may be put in with that ; taking care, as before, not to 

 let your only queen go with them. 



METHOD OF UNITINa. 



The manner of doing it is very simple ; get them in 

 a hive as before directed, and jar them out in front of 

 the one you wish them to enter, or invert it, setting 

 the other over, and let them run up. 



' ' WHEN CARE IS NECESSARV. 



Except on the day of swarming, care is necessary 

 not to introduce a small number with a large swarm ; 

 they are liable to be destroyed. The danger is much 

 greater than to put together about an equal 'number, 

 or a large number put in with a few. The day that 



