242 NATURAL SWARMING. 



new spot. The supers on the old colony are also removed 

 and given to the swarm, with a queen-excluder (733) be- 

 tween the brood apartment and the upper stoiy. This virtu- 

 ally gives the entire working force and the partly filled honey 

 cases to the swarm, which henceforth becomes the producing 

 colony from which surplus may be expected. The old colony 

 thus depleted of its active bees and stores, barely replenishes 

 itself for the end of the season. Sometimes it happens that 

 there are not even bees enough left in the old hive to take 

 care of the brood, since all the active bees have gone to the 

 old stand. In such a case, the Apiarist may place the old 

 colony on the stand of a third hive which is of insufficient 

 strength either to produce a crop of honey or to swarm. 

 The active bees of this colony are thus given to the colony 

 that swarmed and the third colony is itself removed to another 

 spot. 



This method usually does entirely away with secondary 

 swarming. It is recommended by W. Z. Hutchinson, editor 

 of the Bee-Keeper's Review, and author of "Advanced Bee- 

 Culture." 



The increase of colonies may be kept down within reason- 

 able limits by returning all after-swarms that have issued from 

 the hives to the parent colonies. The swarm is hived in any 

 any kind of box and allowed to remain twenty-four to forty- 

 eight hours. At the end of that time it is shaken in front of 

 the hive from which it has issued. The bees willingly re-enter 

 their former home and rarely issue again. This method of 

 prevention of increase is sometimes successful even with pri- 

 mary swarms, if the conditions are otherwise favorable to 

 their comfort. It is not a prevention of swarming, but a 

 prevention of increase in spite of natural swarming. 



