22 PEARCE METHOD OF BEE-KEEPING 



CHAPTER VIII 

 The Cause of Swarming and Swarm Control. 



It is very probable that the cause of swarming, and its 

 control is not very well understood by many of our oee- 

 keepers, and I feel sure that these two things are of greater 

 importance than almost anything else in our pursuit, for so 

 many other things are affected by them. For it would seem 

 as if on these "hang all the law and the prophets" of bee- 

 keeping. It is generally supposed that swarming is the nat- 

 ural and legitimate way of increase for the Bee family, and 

 therefore it is not much use to try to prevent it or find out 

 the cause. 



But it has been noticed that usually when there is a 

 big sudden honey flow there is a spell of excessive swarming 

 and therefore these two conditions seem to be in some way 

 connected. So then bees do not swarm at all times alike 

 as might be expected if they were just fulfilling the law 

 of increase to perpetuate the race. It also has been observed 

 that when bees swarm, about all available space in the hive 

 is filled up. It does not necessarily follow that all the combs 

 are wholly filled or sealed up, for as soon as ever so little 

 honey is placed in the cells they are of no more use for the 

 queen to deposit eggs in until this honey is moved. Then if 

 a sudden large honey flow comes on and all available space 

 in the hive is filled, there is nothing for the bees to do but 

 start queen cells and swarm out as there is no place for the 

 queen to deposit eggs. Bees will not cease gathering honey 

 for any cause if any is to be had and if there is a goodly 

 number of bees in a hive and a large honey flow comes on and 

 the queen depositing one to two thousand eggs in a day with 

 pollen being brought in to feed the bees, it is only a question 

 of a very short time till there will not be an available cell left 

 for the queen to deposit eggs in and then swarming is inevit- 

 able as it is the only way to make more space for the queen to 

 deposit eggs whether we want swarming or not. Therefore, 

 it seems as if there being no more space available in the 

 hive for the queen to deposit eggs in, is the prime cause of 

 swarming. 



If this is so it would be an unwise thing for a bee-keeper 

 to not provide a queen with adequate space to deposit all the 

 eggs she is capable of, especially in early spring when a 

 big stock of bees are so essential. It is no use raising bees 

 after the harvest comes. It is said that no bee carried 

 in more than a spoonful of honey in her life time. If so, it 

 is only by securing a great number of bees early that we can 



