54 THE BEE-MASTER OF WARRILOW 
off with the flying squadron, and a new one takes 
her place at home. In this way there is always a 
young and vigorous queen at the head of affairs, 
and the well-being of the parent stock is assured. 
But advanced bee-keepers, whose sole object is to 
get a large honey yield, have long recognised that 
this is a very expensive way of rejuvenating old 
colonies. The parent hive will give no surplus 
honey for that season; and the swarm, unless it is 
a large and very early one, will do little else than 
furnish its brood-nest for the coming winter. But if 
swarming be prevented, and the stock requeened 
artificially every two years, we keep an immense 
population always ready for the great honey-flow, 
whenever it begins.”’ 
He took up the heavy barrow, laden with its pile 
of super-racks, and started trundling it up the 
path, talking as he went. 
“Tf only the bees could be persuaded to leave 
the queen-raising to the bee-keeper, and would 
attend to nothing else but the great business of 
honey-getting! But they won’t—at least, not yet. 
Perhaps in another hundred years or so the old 
wild habits may be bred out of them; but at present 
it is doubtful whether they are conscious of any 
‘keeping’ at all. They go the old tried paths 
determinedly; and the most that we can accomplish 
is to undo that part of their work which is not to 
our liking, or to make a smoother road for them in 
the direction they themselves have chosen.” 
‘* But you said just now,’”’ I objected, ‘‘ that no 
swarming was allowed among your bees. How do 
you manage to prevent it? ” 
‘“It is not so much a question of prevention as of 
