Swarm Control and Increase 273 



some support, after which they may be hived and placed in 

 the desired location. When the bees have clustered they 

 may be shaken into a box or basket and then placed in front 

 of the hive that they are to occupy. They should be placed 

 so that some of the bees find the entrance promptly, other- 

 wise the bees may begin their characteristic march in the 

 wrong direction (p. 68). If the bees cluster on a limb which 

 can be cut, this may be removed with the adhering bees and 

 carried to the hive and the bees shaken off. If the cluster 

 forms on the trunk of a tree or post or in some other place 

 from which they cannot be readily removed, a box contain- 

 ing a piece of comb (Fig. 47) may be placed above and 

 preferably in contact with the cluster and the swarm will 

 soon move into the box, where it may be handled. Care 

 should be taken to get the queen, as otherwise the bees may 

 again take wing and return to her. 



(2) If the queen's wings are clipped (p. 260), she is unable 

 to fly with the swarm and, after leaving the hive, she falls 

 to the ground. The swarm generally does not cluster if 

 the queen is not with it or, if it does cluster, it soon takes 

 wing and returns to the old hive, provided it does not have 

 a virgin queen with it as is sometimes the case if swarming 

 has been imduly delayed. In the meantime, the beekeeper 

 should find the queen on the ground and place her with the 

 returning bees, after adjusting the hives as described later. 



(3) If a queen and drone trap (Fig. 30) is placed over the 

 entrance, workers can leave, but when the queen attempts 

 to leave she is retarded by the trap. She then, in her at- 

 tempts to escape, usually goes into the upper part of the trap 

 and is unable to return. The swarming bees then behave 

 as they do when the queen's wings are clipped, and soon 

 return. To allow the queen to go below with the bees it is 

 necessary only to pull the tin slide which is shown partly 

 drawn in the illustration, Here too the hives are adjusted 

 as when the queen is clipped and of course the swarm is not 

 left in the old brood-chamber. The inexperienced beekeeper 

 should perhaps be warned not to leave a queen trap on the 



