ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. 199 



10 complete the whole work. If I had an Apiary of a hun- 

 dred colonies, in less than a week, if the weather was pleas- 

 ant, I could by devoting to them a few hours every day, 

 without any asssistance, easily finish the business of swarm- 

 ing for the whole season. 



But how can the Apiarian, if he delays the formation of 

 artificial swarms until near the season for natural swarm- 

 ing, be sure that his bees will not swarm in the usual way ? 

 Must he not still be constantly on hand, or run the risk of 

 losing many of his best swarms ? I come now to the entirely 

 novel plans by which such objections are completely 

 obviated. 



If the Apiarian decides that he can most advantageously 

 multiply his colonies by artificial swarming, he may deprive 

 all his fertile queens of their wings, so that they can not lead 

 off new swarms. As an old queen never leaves the hive 

 except to accompany a new swarm, the loss of her wings 

 does not, in the least interfere with her usefulness, or with 

 the attachment of the bees. Occasionally, a wingless queen 

 is so bent on emigrating, that in spite of her inability to fly, 

 she tries to go off with a swarm ; she has " a will," but con- 

 trary to the old maxim, she can find "no way," but helplessly 

 falls upon the ground, instead of gaily mounting into the air. 

 If the bees succeed in finding her, they will never desert 

 her, but cluster directly around her, and may thus be Easily 

 secured by the Apiarian. If she is not found, the bees will 

 return to the parent stock to await the rnaturity of the young 

 queens. As soon as the piping of the first batched queen is 

 heard, (p. 149,) the Apiarian may force his swarm in the 

 mannner previously described ; unless he prefers, (having 

 fair warning of their intentions,) to allow them to swarm in 

 the natural way. The large number of queens in such 

 a hive, nearly ready to hatch, may be vary advantageously 

 used at the swarming season. 



