238 SUMMER. 



this rule, two second swarms would contain as many 

 bees as a first one, and four of the third, or one of the 

 second issue, and two of the third, &c. If the first 

 and second are of the ordinary size, I think it advis- 

 able always to return the third. But in large apiaries 

 it is common for them to issue without any previous 

 warning, just when a first one is leaving, and crowd 

 themselves into their company, and seeming to he aa 

 much at home as though they were equally respect- 

 able. 



Whenever the hives containing our swarms are full 

 or very near it, the boxes should be put on without 

 delay, unless the season of honey is so nearly gone as 

 to make it unnecessary. 



I have found it an advantage to hive a few of these 

 very small swarms, on purpose to preserve queens, to 

 supply some old stocks that sometimes lose their own 

 at the extreme end of the swarming season. The 

 cases to be mentioned at the last of the next chapter. 

 I try and save one for about every twenty stocks that 

 have swarmed. 



CHAPTEE XIY. 



LOSS OF QUEENS. 

 OF SWAKMS THAT LOSE THEIE QUEEN, 



SwAEMS that lose their queen the first few hours 

 after being hived, generally return to the parent stock ; 

 with the exception that they sometimes unite with 



