252 Methods of Hiving, 



generally find her not far away within a ball of friendly 

 workers. At night-fall, smoke these bees, and by watch- 

 ing we learn the hive which swarmed, as the bees about 

 the queen will repair at once to it. Mr. Doolittle suggests 

 that we may always find what colony swarmed when a 

 swarm is out. If we take a portion of the bees from the 

 c'uster into a pail and swing them around lively, then throw 

 them out, they will at once, he says, fly to the old home. 

 When a swarm first issues young bees, too young to fly, 

 crawling about before the hive, will often reveal the colony 

 that swarmed. 



HIVING SWARMS. 



But in clipping wings, some queens may be omitted, or 

 from taste, or other motive, some bee-keepers may not 

 desire to "deform her royal highness." Then the apiarist 

 must possess the means to save the would-be rovers. The 

 means are: good hives in readiness; some kind of a brush 

 — a turkey-wing will do; a basket with open top, which 

 should be at least eighteen inches in diameter, and so made 

 that it may be attached to the end of a pole; and two poles, 

 one very long and the other of medium length. 



Now, let us attend to the method : As soon as the clus- > 

 ter commences to form, place the hive in position where 

 we wish the colony to remain, leaving the entrance widely 

 open. As soon as the bees are fully clustered, we must 

 manage as best we can to empty the whole cluster in front 

 of the hive. As the bees are full of honey they are not 

 likely to sting, but will sometimes. I have known bees 

 when clustered in a swarm to be very cross. This, how- 

 ever, is not usual. Should the bees be on a twig that could 

 be sacrificed, this might be easily cut off with either a knife 

 or saw (Fig. 98), and so carefully as hardly to disturb the 

 bees, then carry and shake the bees in front of the hive, 

 when with joyful hum they will at once proceed to enter. 

 If the twig must not be cut, shake them all into the basket, 

 and empty before the hive. Should they be on a tree 

 trunk, or a fence, then brush them with the wing into the 

 basket, and proceed as before. If they are high up on a 

 tree, take the pole and basket, and perhaps a ladder will 



