90 HANDY BOOK OF BEES. 



ment of bees, will by-and-by be felt in his hands to be 

 a very simple aifair. 



But suppose the reader adopts this art of swarming, 

 how is he to know when his hives are ready for swarming, 

 and what size of swarms to take when they are ready 1 

 These questions are important. A little experience will 

 give more instruction than our pen can. Of course when 

 bees begin to cluster at their doors they are ready for 

 swarming. Large hives seldom cluster outside before 

 swarming, and small ones almost always do. But by 

 using the smoke of fustian rags we can ascertain when 

 hives are ready for swarming — that is to say, full enough 

 for swarming. When smoke is blown into a hive, the 

 bees run up amongst the combs ; and if the hive be lifted 

 off the board, there will be but a thin sprinkling of bees 

 left on it. When they so run up amongst the combs, the 

 hive is not ready to swarm. But when ready, the hive 

 is full of bees, so that the smoke drives them from the 

 door, but not up amongst the combs, which are pretty well 

 packed. Well, on lifting this hive there will be found 

 a rope or ring of bees on the board about as thick as a 

 man's wrist ; and this rope of bees begins to run over the 

 edges of the board, so that, when the hive is replaced, 

 many bees are on the outside of it, most behind. Of 

 course the number of bees on the board will be greater in 

 some hives than others, according to their construction, 

 size, and ripeness. This is a far better test of the readi- 

 ness of a hive for swarming than the appearance of drones 

 in it, or even the heat or noise of it. A hive is often 

 ready to swarm before drones are perfected in it ; and in 

 unfavourable weather, it is often as full of bees as it can 

 hold when there is neither much noise nor heat. The 

 examination should be made when the 'bees are all at 

 home. 



The other question may be answered by saying that we 



