66 THE LIFE OF THE BEE 



And then there is silence once more ; and, in an instant, 

 this mighty tumult, this awful curtain apparently laden with 

 unspeakable menace and anger, this bewildering golden hail 

 that streamed upon every object near — all these become merely 

 a great, inoffensive, peaceful cluster of bees, composed of 

 thousands of little motionless groups, that patiently wait, as 

 they hang from the branch of a tree, for the scouts to return 

 who have gone in search of a place of shelter. 



38 



This is the first stage of what is known as the " primary 

 swarm," at whose head the old queen is always to be found. 

 They will settle, as a rule, on the shrub or the tree that is 

 nearest the hive ; for the queen, besides being weighed down 

 by her eggs, has dwelt in constant darkness ever since her 

 marriage-flight, or the swarm of the previous year ; and is 

 naturally reluctant to venture far into space, having indeed 

 almost forgotten the use of her wings. 



The bee-keeper waits till the mass be completely gathered 

 together ; then, having covered his head with a large straw 

 hat (for the most inoffensive bee will conceive itself caught 

 in a trap if entangled in hair, and will infallibly use its sting) 

 but, if he be experienced, wearing neither mask nor veil — 

 having taken the precaution only of plunging his arms in 

 cold water up to the elbow — he proceeds to gather the swarm 

 by vigorously shaking the bough from which the bees depend 

 over an inverted hive. Into this hive the cluster will fall 

 as heavily as an over-ripe fruit. Or, if the branch be too 



