CONSTRUCTIVE BEEKEEPING 7 



URGE 



Swarming is the breaking in two of a populous colony of bees 

 for the reproduction of the colony. Other swarming need not 

 be considered here. 



The confusion of conceptions which arises in the mind 

 when the term swarm-prevention is mentioned, has to a great 

 extent, been a hindrance to logical reasoning on this subject. 

 At mention of the word swarm, there is conjured up from the 

 background of our minds, the exciting and spectacular scenes 

 we have seen enacted around the aipary. What we want to 

 prevent not the birth but the conception. We must go even 

 prior to this and prevent the primal urge. To avoid confusion 

 and give reason and logic an opportunity to work, unhampered 

 by visions conjured up at mention of the word swarm, the word 

 urge will be used here to refer to the initial starting point of 

 the swarming impulse. 



The urge is the direct result of the actual or apparent failure 

 of the queen. 



With the exception of a young queen in the hive, all other 

 methods of urge prevention have to do with room for the queen 

 to lay. Give the queen plenty of room to lay and swarms are 

 reduced. Give, the. colony plenty of ventilation and you have 

 fewer swarms. Young queen, and shade in the afternoons, 

 reduce swarming. Room, ventilation, shade in the afternoon, 

 and young queen have given the best results so far obtained. 



CONDITIONS. 



What has puzzled the beekeeper is that results obtained by 

 the same treatment year after year have not been the same. Nor 

 have the same results been obtained by similar treatments in dif- 

 ferent localities. Bees always respond to similar treatment under 

 like conditions by giving uniform results. The beekeepers' trou- 

 ble is that he makes his treatments uniform but not his condi- 

 tions. Conditions include all of the following things : 



1. Temperature. 



2. Direction and velocity of the wind. 



