The Cycle of the Year 81 



records of extraordinarily early swarms are doubtless in- 

 stances of swarming-out rather than of swarming. Nuclei 

 used in queen-rearing are frequently depopulated, but this 

 may be a case of the bees accompanying the virgin queen 

 on her mating flight. When American foul brood is present 

 in a colony, swarming-out is of common occurrence, the 

 bees abandoning the hive when in advanced stages of the 

 disease. Whether this is due to the influence of the (to 

 us) unpleasant odor is not clear. 



Somewhat similar is the abandonment of the hive so 

 frequent after hiving artificial or natural swarms or after 

 treatment of a brood disease. After the artificial swarm is 

 made, the bees may leave immediately or they may begin 

 work and then desert the hive within twenty-four hours or 

 even later. This is prevented if a comb containing un- 

 sealed larvae is given the colony or, if a queen trap is placed 

 over the entrance, the deserting bees will return to the 

 imprisoned queen. When bees swarm-out they may cluster 

 or they may fly away as after-swarms often do. After 

 artificial swarming, a colony may repeatedly attempt to 

 swarm-out, suggesting the intensified swarming sometimes 

 observed in northern comb-honey apiaries. After sufficient 

 comb is built and when larvae have hatched, this trouble 

 disappears. The swarming-out of colonies under adverse 

 conditions suggests the reported action of giant bees {Apis 

 dorsata), which are said to abandon their combs if attacked 

 by the wax-moth, or to migrate with the change in seasons 

 to districts where nectar is available. 



GATHERING OF NECTAR AND STORING OF HONEY 



At any time that nectar is available, if the weather is 

 suitable for flight, the bees gather nectar to be converted 

 into honey for use as food. Usually, as early in the spring 

 as bees are able to leave the hive for extended flights, there 

 is some nectar available but, under the adverse condition of 

 spring, when the colonies are weak and when flying is difii- 



