FORMATION OF ARTIFICIAL SWARMS. 57 
the same as that of natural ones; all the difference there is in the oper- 
ation is, the cells of the natural queens are formed before the eggs are 
deposited in them; while the eggs, from which the artificial queens 
are produced, are deposited in common worker cells, being the same 
kind of egg that is deposited in a royal cell, all that is required to 
make a queen of the worker egg is a more capacious cell and a differ- 
ent kind of food. 
The manner of converting a worker egg or larva into a queen is 
as follows. As soon as the bees have ascertained that they are desti- 
tute of a queen, or in a few hours after, they commence cutting away 
three or four of the cells adjoining ‘the one containing the larva they 
have selected for a queen, and construct a royal cell of the contents 
of the demolished ones. Usually from three to six of these royal cells 
are commenced in different portions of the combs containing worker 
eggs or larvze; the larvee in these cells are now fed on different food 
from that fed to the workers, being the same as that fed to natural 
queens. This food changes the insect from a worker to a queen, pro- 
ducing a more perfect development of the female organs. 
CHAPTER XX. 
FORMATION OF ARTIFICIAL SWARMS, 
Axrsoucs the art of forming artificial swarms has been known for 
many years, yet but few apiarians have practised it to any extent. 
The whole sum and substance, and I may say secret of forming artifi-~ 
cial swarms, lies simply in the fact, that the worker bees possess the 
power of converting a common worker egg (and even the larva, if it 
is less than four days old) into a queen at pleasure. This is a wise 
provision of nature, for did they not posses this power, many a colony 
of bees would become extinct that now survive many years. 
Having previously explained the manner in which artificial queens 
are produced, which affords the basis of forming artificial swarms, I 
will now proceed to inform the bee-master how he may produce artifi- 
cial swarms with sy good results, provided he hasa hive containing a 
