202 ARTIFICIAL SWAKMINQ. 



entrance lo my hive, or by beveling their edges, so that they 

 can be slid under the entrance, just far enough to admit a 

 loaded bee, I can, in a moment, adjust them so as to confine 

 the queen. By this arrangement all swarming on Sunday, 

 or any other day, w^hen the Apiarian does not desire it, may 

 be prevented. 



This method of preventing swar.ming, requires great 

 accuracy of measurement, for a very trifling deviation from 

 the dimensions given, vvill either shut out the loaded workers, 

 or let out the queen. It must only be employed to prevent 

 first swarming, for if a young queen is confined to her hive, she 

 cannot become fertile. The same method employed to con- 

 fine a queen, will, in the Winter, exclude mice from the 

 hive, if the blocks are confined so that they can not move 

 them out of their places. 



Avery importantuse maybe made of blocks thus arranged, 

 to get rid of the drones. In that part of the day when they 

 are out in full flight, adjust the blocks so that they cannot 

 enter. Towards dark, or early next morning, they will be 

 found sprawled out upon the alighting board, or hanging in 

 clusters under the portico, and may be brushed into a vessel 

 of water and destroyed, or given to chickens, which can easily 

 be taught to devour them. In a few days nearly all the 

 drones in the Apiary, may be thus destroyed. This must 

 not be attempted, however, in hives which contain a queen 

 not yet impregnated, as it will prevent her either from com- 

 ing out, or returning, if she has already left the hive, to meet 

 the drones. 



The great importance of getting rid early in the season, 

 of the excess of drones, must be obvious to any one who 

 knows how few are needed in an Apiary, and how much 

 honey is required to sustain such large corporations. Let 

 the bee-keeper catch a few drones as they are issuing from 



