170 FORTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES. 



He helped me. He made a catcher of his hands and put 

 the bees in the catcher by main strength. But they 

 wouldn't stay "catched," and they didn't. So I don't like 

 swarming, even if I didn't think it interfered with the 

 honey crop. 



WHY DO BEES SWARM ? 



Upon no other subject connected with bee-keeping 

 have I studied so much, tried so many plans, or made so 

 many failures, as with regard to prevention of swarming. 

 If I knew all about just what makes a colony swarm, I 

 would be in better shape to use preventive measures ; but 

 I don't know all about it. Of course I know that want 

 of room and want of ventilation may hasten swarming, 

 and possibly some other things of that kind ; but after all 

 there is a good deal of mystery about the whole affair. 



VENTILATION AND ROOM. 



I think it is of some use to take pains to see that the 

 bees are never really cramped for room. I believe that 

 raising the hive on blocks ^ of an inch or 

 more is a good thing. It is also a good thing to rear 

 queens from stock that has shown little inclination to 

 swarming. Indeed, with room enough and ventilation 

 enough it is possible that bees would never swarm. Some 

 one will say to me that bees mav swarm with a hogs- 

 head of room. Yes, but the combs may be in such con- 

 dition that the queen will be cramped for room, even in a 

 hogshead. 



NON-SWARMING PILES. 



For a good many years I have been in the habit of 

 having in each apiary one or more colonies whose hives 

 were kept as a sort of store-house where extra frames of 

 brood or honey could be put, to be drawn from as occa- 

 sion required, but often there has been no drawing, and 



