AETIFIOIAL S\VAK.M-4. 185 



CHAPTER XI. 



ARTIFICIAL, SWAKMS. 



Artificial swarms are those which are made by driving 

 'or dividing. The utility of such swarms will depend 

 greatly on the circumstances of the bee-lceeper ; the time 

 that he has to attend to regular swarms, and his general 

 knowledge of the subject. There are advantages as well 

 as disadvantages. There is not much difference between 

 the labor of making artificial swarms, and of hiving regu- 

 lar issues. If I were sure of but one issue from a hive, 

 and could always attend to the hiving without particular 

 inconvenience, I would prefer natural swarms. But when 

 we depend on these, and perhaps feel particularly anxious 

 for tliem to issue, some will pertinaciously adhere to the 

 old stock through the whole swarming season. When we 

 have but few hives, and are particularly anxious to increase 

 the number, this indifference to our wishes is very annoy- 

 ing. The other extreme — over swarming — is often still 

 more vexatious. 



PBRPLEXITEES. 



There are likewise some perplexities with artificial 

 swarms. We do not always take out the requisite num- 

 ber, or we get too great a proportion of old or young bees, 

 and when they are thus improperly divided, they do not 

 always work well at first. One writer says, " artificial 

 swarms, so called, I do not approve of at all, they do not 

 work like the others." I cannot imagine why he should 

 have failed, unless there was a lack of the requisite number 

 of workers in all the departments, such as nurses, wax- 

 workeis and gatherers. Whether there is an organic dis- 

 tinction in the bees that fill these stations, or only tempor- 

 aiy details for the purpose, I shall not express an opinion. 



