SURPI-US QUEENS. 97 



the advantage of having all hives ready for swarming in 

 May, or very early in June — also the advantage of im- 

 porting queens from early swarmers into later ones ! 



Small "bee-keepers oblige one another by transplanting 

 surplus queens from one apiary to another. One thus 

 enriches his neighhour without impoverishing himself. 



The question has been asked how queens can be found 

 or seen amongst the bees that have been driven into 

 empty hives. After a swarm has been driven into a 

 hive, it is turned on its crown — not gently, for we wish 

 all the bees to fall from the sides of the hive on the 

 crown ; and when they are running back, we try to get 

 a sight of her majesty. She is conspicuous and easily 

 known, but the eye of the bee-master does not see all 

 parts of the swarm at once ; and as the queen is very 

 modest,' she often hides herself amongst the bees before 

 she is noticed. In about two minutes all the bees leave 

 the crown of the hive and settle on its sides. When she 

 has escaped our notice the first time, we give the hive a 

 great " thump," and thus bring all the bees on the crown 

 of the hive again, when they rapidly leave it for the sides, 

 giving another opportunity of seeing the queen. But in- 

 stead of shaking them down a second time, we sometimes 

 shift them down to the crown of the hive with a table- 

 spoon, allowing each spoonful to run off before we put 

 another down ; and by beginning at one side of the swarm 

 and going all round it, we do not fail to see the queen if 

 she is with the swarm — and in nineteen cases out of 

 twenty she is. It is very rare indeed that bees sting, or 

 ever think about it, when dealt with in this manner. 



