40 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



If it is not known what hive a swarm issued from then hive it where 

 it is found, and as soon as the bees are in or at night, remove it to the 

 place where it is to stand permanently. Do not defer the moving 

 for two or three days or so many bees will have marked the first 

 location, that there will be a serious loss on moving them. 



It is not necessary to put the hive up on a platform or step ladder 

 near to where they clustered, until the swarm is all in. Put the hive 

 on the ground, shake the swarm into a basket, and carry the bees to 

 the hive. The mass of bees will set up a roar and emit an odor which 

 will attract all the bees in the air and the few which go back to the 

 tree will soon join those in the hive. 



FORCED SWARMING. 



When a colony seems to be preparing to swarm, indicated by great 

 population, starting of queen cells, bees hanging in masses on front 

 of hive or about the entrance, it is the practice of some bee-keepers 

 to shake the bees from the combs, giving the bees a new hive on the 

 old stand as in natural swarming, transferring to it the supers with 

 the contained bees and giving the old brood chamber with its combs 

 to some other colony to care for. Some vary this method by leaving 

 about half the combs unshaken and placing the old hive at one side 

 of the new. In a week it is changed to the other side of the new hive, 

 and a week later back again; this is to throw the force of young 

 field bees into the "swarm." 



Another variation is to give the brood from which the "swarm" 

 was shaken, to some weak colony or one without supers, a week or so 

 later de-queen it, and the next day shake most of the bees into or 

 before the swarm. In forced swarming it is well to make the "swarm" 

 enter the new hive through a queen-excluding honey board tem- 

 porarily placed under the hive body or through an "entrance guard" 

 of excluder metal or through a drone trap. This shuts out all the 

 drones. The queen is put inside the hive. It is wise to leave the 

 guard or "excluder board" in place for a few daj^s, for "forced 

 swarms" sometimes get uneasy and "swarm out." As soon as they 



