OF MANAGING BKES. 89 



*• parture of the first swarm, as in Chapter II. That bees may 

 be inci-eased to any desirable extent, without swarming, there 

 is not a doubt. In northern latitudes, however, the seasons 

 are too short to make very rapid advances. We have tried 

 this experiment several times, and have not yet, failed. We 

 have divided them, and received a swarm from one of the 

 divisions the same season. We have transferred and divided 

 the same season with perfect success ; and thus far we have 

 not failed in a single trial, lyhen the experiments were made 

 in accordance with the rules set forth in this Manual. 



Artificial heat is not as favorable to the breeding of bees, 

 nor to their health and lives, as natural heat. We have set 

 them to breeding in January, but we found the heat pro- 

 duced by the fire, though moderate, in the course of two 

 weeks caused death in many of the old bees, and a chill 

 destroyed the larvae, and we were compelled to relinquish 

 the winter enterprise as unprofitable business. We are in- 

 clined to think that a room may be so constructed,- and 

 warmed by heated air, that swarms may be forwarded in 

 the spring to great advantage. 



The drone is, no doubt, the male- bee, notwithstanding the 

 sexual union has never been witnessed by any man ; yet so 

 many experiments have been tried, and observations made, 

 that but little doubt can be entertained of its truth. That 

 the sexual intercourse takes place high in the air, is very 

 probable, from the fact that we have seen an attempt at 

 copulation by the drone with the queen, ^n their return from 

 an excursion in the air, before she'could enter the hive; and 

 other insects of the fly tribe do copulate in the air, when on 

 the wing, as we have repeatedly seen. That the drone is the 

 male bee is probable, from the fact that the drones are not 

 all massacred at once. In a minute examination of several 

 hives in the winter and spring, it was found that some drones 

 8* 



