44 A Modtrn Bet-Farm 



the cluster ; it will only cause waste of time and dis- 

 appointment ; it has to be done, therefore carry the thing 

 through at once. 



Hatching of the Young: Queens. 



In about nine days from the issue of the first swarm, 

 one of the young queens bites her way out of the cell, 

 leaving the cap hanging attached at a part of its edge ; 

 this covering will sometimes get back into its original 

 place and be again sealed by the bees, and should a 

 worker be in, clearing out the residue of food at the time, 

 its fate is scaled in a double sense. Such occurrences, 

 simple to a careful observer, have at times given rise to 

 unfounded theories ; but at the same time it shows how 

 it is quite possible to leave a useless queen cell in the hive 

 when cutting out all but one to prevent after-swarming ; 

 a wanton waste of time, by the way, which cannot be 

 tolerated in a modern apiary. 



The young queens may be ready to hatch, they may 

 even bite all round the covering of their cells, and yet not 

 be allowed to leave them, should the weather be unsuitable 

 for swarming, so that when the favourable moment comes 

 several leave their cradles at the same time, and are quite 

 ready for flight, but as a rule the first hatched young 

 queen leads off, or rather goes with the second swarm ; 

 though the after, and sometimes even the second swarm, 

 is accompanied by more than one virgin queen. Though 

 I am well aware that such queens will, if placed together, 

 immediately fight until one receives its instantaneous death 

 wound ; when several accompany a swarm, or in case two 

 or more swarms settle together, each having a fertile 

 queen, the bees themselves settle the matter by " balling " 

 those not required. After the hive is so weakened that 

 the bees know it is useless to attempt to swarm again, or 

 should the weather be unfavourable, the queens still 



