94 HANDY BOOK OF BEES. 



royal cells, or otherwise royal cells built around them, 

 become perfect princesses in fourteen days, when the pip- 

 ing and barking begin, which was explained in a former 

 chapter. After three nights' piping, second swarms may 

 be expected, if the weather be at all favourable for swarm- 

 ing. Second swarms are less particular than first ones 

 about having fine weather on the occasion of their leav- 

 ing home as colonists. But cannot second swarms be 

 taken ofi', as well as first ones, artificially 1 Yes ; but it 

 is necessary to be a little more cautious while doing it, 

 for such young princesses are apt to take wing during the 

 operation. Old queens never take wing, however much 

 they may be tossed about in swarming and uniting of 

 swarms. Not so with these young unimpregnated queens. 

 Hence there is a little manoeuvring required in swarming 

 second swarms by art. As soon as the queens are heard 

 calling and answering each other (piping), we turn up the 

 hive and cut two of the royal cells out — those that have 

 queens in them — and wrap each up in a comer of our 

 handkerchief, separate, and so that they cannot come out 

 of their cells. We have got over the difficulty ; and in 

 less than five minutes a swarm is drummed up into a 

 hive prepared for it : the swarm is set on one side of the 

 old stand, and the mother hive on the other side. In the 

 handkerchief there is a queen for each hive. We gene- 

 rally take the lids off the cells, and let the beautiful young 

 creatures run in at the doors. It requires no master- 

 stroke to do it ; any one who puts aside the mistrust of 

 his own powers wiU. manage this affair easily. Second 

 swarms generally come naturally on the day following 

 the third night of piping. If piping ceases, no second 

 swarm wiU be obtained. 



If there are more than two queens in a hive — and fre- 

 quently there are four or five — we cut them all out, if pos- 

 sible, on such occasions. But presently we shaU. come to 



