AETinCIAL SWARMS. 253 



bees were deprived of their queen, if they only pos- 

 sessed eggs or young larvae, they would not fail to rear 

 another," &c. There are numerous instances of their 

 doing this, but it is not to be depended upon, espe- 

 cially when left in a hive full of combs, as the following 

 experiments tend to prove. 



SOME EXPERIMENTS. 



Several years since I had a few stocks well supplied 

 with bees, and every indication of swarming present, 

 such as clustering out, &c., but they pertinaciously ad- 

 hered to the old stock, through the whole swarming sea- 

 son ! Others apparently not as well supplied with bees 

 threw off swarms. I had but few stocks, and was very 

 anxious to increase the number ; but these were provok- 

 ingly indifferent to my wishes. Taking the assertions 

 of these authors for facts, I reasoned thus : In all pro- 

 bability there are eggs enough in each of those stocks. 

 Why not drive out a portion of the bees, with the old 

 queen, and leave about as many as if a swarm had is- 

 sued? Those left will then raise a queen, and con- 

 tinue the old stock, and I shall have six instead of the 

 three, that have been so obstinate. Accordingly, I 

 divided each, examined and found eggs and larvae. Of 

 course all miist be right. Now, thought I, my stocks 

 can be doubled at least annually. If they do not 

 swarm, I can drive them. 



THE BESnLT UNSATISFACTORY. 



My swarms prospered, the old stocks seemed indus- 

 trious, bringing in pollen in abundance, which to me 

 aXthat tivai, was conclusive that they had a queen, or 



