34 



it isalwavswi.el,, Imvc tlie i-ovri' a, lillle. rnis.^d at tlio Lack, tn pn.vi.U- plenty of 

 vcntilati.'.n ; nllua « isr tlir lark of an- may t.^iniil the bees to make a seeond Hight. Do 

 not UM.' siiiokf \\]iil(.- Iii\ itiL^^ a s\^'aini. 



I'KKNENTroN (IF SwAR.MINO. 



Tl.c lueveiitioii of swainiiii- is to the l.ee-keeper a regular Avill-o'-tlie-wisp. He 

 wants siu].hi.s 1i(,ik;v, l.iit lie knows liy experience that he will get far more from a 

 colony that does not swarm tlian lie »ill get from ..nc that does, even with the aid of 

 all its offshoots. Therefore, he tries hard to get rousing strong hives by the beginning 

 of llic lioiicy-llow, and to hold the forces intact all through the season. 



'I'hoiisaiids are wrestling seriously with tlie swarming problem eveiy summer, 

 striving to understaiiil tlie immediate cause. It is not enougli to .say it is the bees' 

 metliod of reproducing tlie siiecies, for all strong colonies in an apiary do not throw off 

 swarms in the season ; often tlie nia.jority do not. Again, it is not a prolilem of sex 

 instiiirt. for the queen has no desires liut to lay ; in fact, the decision wliether to divide 

 or not to divide the colony is determined by the workers, a\ ho arc free of the sex 

 impulse. 



Uneasiness, di.scomfort, practically sums up the conditions that develop the 

 s\\'arniing impulse. It is caused : — 



1. By the want of room in the comlis, anil this is the most important cause of all. 

 There must be readily accessible cells for the fpieeu in early June if the bees are to be 

 coiitented, hence the importance of giving the colon}' a second chamber as soon as the 

 bees are crowding the first. To put an extracting super over a brood-chamber, but with 

 a ciueen-excluder between, is no preventive, for this is giving more room for honey when 

 there is none, while it gi\es no additional room for eggdaying, which is what is M'aiited, 

 Once the swarming fever has develo2:)ed, the only cui'e is swarming, so that gi\'ing 

 additional space at this stage is too late. 



2. By the heat of the summer sun. This is not enough in itself, but it encourages 

 the impulse. 



3. By the presence of an army of drijnes in the hive, who crowd it and make it 

 uncomfortable. Therefore, keep down the amount of drone-comb. 



4. By poor ventilation. It is simply impossible during hot weather for a small 

 entrance to give sufhcient circulation of air to satisfy the needs of say 50,(XI0 bees and 

 about as many in the baby stage. Therefore, let the entrance after the 1st of Maj' be 

 at least an inch high and as wide as that part of the combs on which the bees are 

 olustererb In most cases this will be the full width of the hive. In the hot weather 

 period the brood-chamber may be pulled Ijack or pushed forward a couple of inches to 

 clear the end of the brjttom hoard and thus give a free current of air under the frames. 

 In extreme cases a through drau.ght in the lirood-chamber can be given by pushincr 

 forward the super enougli to make a crack about a ijuarter of an inch wide. 



.5. Colonies run for extracted are very much less liable to swarm than those run for 

 comb honey. Since extracted honey is more profitable in this Province and is produced 

 with less labour, the beginner is advised to devote his energy to securing his crop in 

 this form. 



To Prevent Secomi Sw.iRMs. 



The principle involved in the prevention of second swarms is to weaken the parent 

 hive, strengthen the swarm, and .secure as much surplus honey as possible. Remove 

 the old hive from the stand and set it in a new location, the sooner the better, as we 

 want to catch all the bees that are coming in from the fields with nectar. Set the new 

 hive in its place, using only starters or full foundation in the frames. Then secure the 

 swarm and hive it in the new hive on the old stand. The bees will at once proceed to 



