PRIMARY SWARM. 225 
Those who have plenty of good worker-comb, will un- 
questionably find it to their advantage to use it in the place 
of comb-foundation (674) or artificial guides. Those who 
use the guides (319), should examine a swarm two or 
three days after it is hived, when, by a little management, 
any irregularities in their combs may be easily corrected. 
Some combs may need a little compression, to bring them 
into their proper positions, and others may even require to 
be cut out, and fastened as guides in other frames; but no 
pains should be spared to see that they are all right, before 
the work has gone so far as to make it laborious to remedy 
any defects. If a swarm is small, it ought to be confined, by 
a movable partition (849), to such a space in the hive as 
it can occupy with comb—as well for its encouragement, as 
to economize its animal heat. Varro, who flourished before 
the Christian Era, says (Liber III, Cap. xviii), that bees 
become dispirited, when placed in hives that are too large. 
Primary SwaRM WITH A YOUNG QUEEN. 
443. We have already stated (157) that queens die of 
old age, when about four years old. If the preparations for 
queen rearing (489) are begun during the swarming sea- 
son, from this cause, or by her death through accident, or 
because she has been removed by the Apiarist, it very 
often happens that bees prevent the first hatched queen 
from destroying her rivals (112), and the result is that a 
swarm leaves the hive with her. These primary swarms with 
young queens, are cast as unexpectedly, and may be as 
strong as those that are accompanied by the old queen. 
They have that in common with secondary swarms, that 
they behave like them, both in their exit and afterwards. 
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