88 HANDY BOOK OF BEES. 



then carried to where the empty hive and calico are. It is 

 turned upside down — that is, placed on its crown; then the 

 empty hive is placed on and over it, and the calico rolled 

 round the junction of the two to keep all the bees in. The 

 hive to receive and contain the swarm for good is placed 

 on the hoard of the old hive, with a view to prevent the 

 bees flying about from going into other hives. The reason 

 why the hive with cross-sticks is not first placed on the 

 hive to receive the swarm, is owing to the difficulty of 

 seeing the queen in it. The bees would hang in clusters 

 on the sticks ; hence they are first driven into an empty 

 hive, in which the queen is easily seen, then shaken into 

 the other hive prepared to receive the swarm. Now the 

 drumming or driving commences, which is simply done by 

 beating the bottom hive with open hands for about five 

 minutes. This drumming confounds the bees, and causes 

 them to run up into the empty hive, and in nineteen 

 cases out of twenty the queen goes with the bees or 

 swarm so drummed up. But to be quite sure that the 

 queen is with the swarm, we take the hive (now contain- 

 ing the swarm) oif the parent hive, turn it upside down, 

 exposing the whole swarm to view, in order to see the 

 queen. She is easily distinguished, and when we have 

 seen her, we take the swarm back to the old stand, and 

 shake all into the hive ready for them, the calico mean- 

 while being spread over the combs and bees in the old 

 hive. The swarm is now placed three, six, or nine feet 

 to the right, and the mother hive as far to the left, of the 

 spot or stand on which it stood before. How easy and 

 simple this work is ! how soon over, and how natural it 

 appears ! It is just about as easily done as shaking a 

 natural swarm from a branch into an empty hive. Look 

 at the advantages : the bees are not allowed to waste 

 their time in clustering about the door of the hive before 

 swarming ; and this clustering, in some cases and seasons, 



