23 
are removed being in all instances brushed back into their own hive. 
With fair pasturage the nucleus wil! soon be able to build combs and 
may be given frames of comb foundation, or, if the queen be of the 
current year’s raising, frames with narrow strips of foundation as 
guides may be inserted, since all combs constructed by the nucleus will 
be composed of worker cells. 
Shaken or brushed swarms.—The practice of shaking or brushing 
bees from the combs of populous colonies into new hives to form arti- 
ficial or forced swarms has been practiced for many years, to a limited 
extent in this country and more largely abroad. As early, at least, as 
1872 the late C. J. H. Gravenhorst, the editor of Die Illustrierte 
Bienenzeitung, author of Der Praktische Imker, and inventor of the 
Bogenstuelper hive, made artificial swarms in this manner. His 
articles led the author to experiment in this line and finally to settle 
upon the plan of placing colonies designed for honey production in 
pairs in the apiary and, after having brought them up to a suitable 
strength, shaking or brushing most of the bees of the two into a third 
hive at the approach of the main honey flow, one queen being allowed 
to enter the new hive with the shaken swarm. The latter is to be placed 
on the old stand midway in position between the spots previously occu- 
pied by the parent colonies, these having been removed some distance, 
to be managed thereafter as colonies that have swarmed. The newly 
shaken swarm is to receive comb-foundation starters in the frames 
and within a day or two surplus receptacles for honey. In case, how- 
ever, drawn combs be used in the super, there had better be one or 
two frames in the brood apartment partly filled with completed comb 
to hold the first pollen collected. The shaking or brushing should be 
done toward the latter part of the day and during a time when new 
honey is coming in, or in the absence of the latter liberal feeding 
should precede the shaking and be kept up until the start of the honey 
flow. The shaken swarm is thus brought into quite the same condition 
as usually obtains in the case of a natural swarm. It is able to send 
out a strong gathering force at once and will store honey rapidly. 
The increase of 50 per cent is as large as is consistent with the secur- 
ing of the best honey yield. 
PREVENTION OF SWARMING. 
Under the conditions most frequently occurring, however—that is, 
where it is not practicable to be present at all times during the swarm- 
ing season, or where the desired number of colonies has been attained— 
a system of management is advisable which in general contemplates 
the prevention, in so far as possible, of the issuance of swarms with- 
out at the same time interfering with honey storing. The picagraphs 
following on this subject are taken from the Department publication 
*‘The Honey Bee,” cited on page 15, footnote: 
59 
