HOW TO KEEP BEES. 39 



When the bees do swarm, if the queen was clipped she will be 

 found on the grass or ground not far from the hive. She should be 

 picked up and caged with a few of her workers. The hive should be 

 set to the rear and another containing only frames with narrow 

 starters of foundation put in its place. If tightly wired frames and 

 full sheets of foundation painted with wax are available (page 21), 

 these are preferable, but full sheets unwired will fall under the weight 

 of a swarm. By this time the bees, not having a queen with them, 

 will be coming back. Lay the caged queen at the entrance while 

 transferring the honey board and supers, with all the contained bees 

 from the old to the new hive. Next shake all the bees from about 

 half of the combs of the brood chamber of the old hive in front of the 

 new one. In doing this have a wide board, hive cover or box placed 

 level with the hive entrance to shake the bees on. When the bees are 

 marching in well liberate the queen at the hive entrance and see 

 that she goes in, using a puff of smoke if need be. Usually the bees 

 will settle down to work again, and having no combs for storage 

 below, will put all the honey above. Generally this is an excellent 

 plan, but sometimes it does not work, the bees trying to swarm again. 

 If this occurs, re-cage the queen, and place the cage in the hive for a 

 few days. If the bee-keeper is not on hand to see the swarm, the 

 bees, on missing the queen, will return to the hive. A few may find 

 the queen in the grass and gather about her and thus indicate her 

 whereabouts to the bee-keeper. If she is not given back to the bees, 

 or if the bee-keeper is away and the queen perishes, the bees, after a 

 day more or less of uneasiness, settle down to work again. If they 

 have plenty of ventilation and storage room they rarely swarm with 

 the young queen which succeeds the first swarming. 



If the queen is not clipped and the swarm clusters where it can be 

 reached, it is usually easiest to shake it into a basket or box, cover 

 it with a cloth, carry it to the stand it came from, and when the new 

 hive is ready, pour out the bees in front of and against the hive just 

 as if they were so many beans . Keep empty hives which are awaiting 

 swarms in some cool place or shaded. Bees do not readily enter hot 

 hives. 



