HINTS ON WORKING THE BEES 69 
that the queen has come out, or she may show 
no inclination to do so. Sometimes the swarm 
will fly for some distance,-or it may happen 
to ‘‘cluster’’ comparatively near its former 
home. In some cases trouble arises from the 
fact, already stated on p. 44, that the swarm 
has chosen a home in a neighbour’s empty 
hive. Any question of ownership can always be 
settled by an examination of the combs in this 
hive, for if there are no eggs or brood more 
than a few hours’ old the bees undoubtedly 
belong to the claimant of the swarm, and he 
is entitled to their possession or their value. 
Should there be eggs or brood obviously de- 
posited in the combs earlier than the day on 
which the swarm entered, then no claim can 
stand, for it is certain that it is impossible for 
the members of the swarm to be picked out 
from those already in the hive when they 
entered. 
Handling the Swarm.—Should the swarm 
settle in a convenient position on a branch of 
a tree, it can be transferred directly to a bar- 
frame hive in the following manner: The 
hive, placed as nearly under the swarm as 
possible, should have the entrance to the body 
raised, and wedged, about an inch, and a board 
placed from the ground to the alighting board ; 
