212 ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. 



was taken, is now put in the place of any strong stock, so that 

 it may catch up a sufficient number of bees to carry on the 

 work of the hive, and the stock whose.place it occupies, is 

 removed to a new location. Of all the methods for creating 

 artificial svi'arrns, I consider this to be the simplest and best. 

 It may be practiced at any time in a pleasant day, from sun- 

 rise until four o'clock in the afternoon ; and when the arti- 

 ficial swarm is made so early that no bees are abroad, to 

 recruit the old stock, this hive may be shut up, until it can 

 be put upon the stand of any hive which begins to work 

 with vigor, and which has not swarmed. By such a mode of 

 management which I earnestly recommend as the safest, 

 simplest and best, the Apiarian will not only secure a 

 reasonable increase of his colonies, but will maintain them all 

 in high vigor, and in ordinary seasons obtain more spare 

 honey than he would, if he did not encourage any increase. 

 If all bee-keepers would adopt it, they would avoid many 

 discouragements, and the country would soon be once more 

 " a land flowing with milk and honey." 



The Apiarian who relies upon natural swarming, can 

 double his new colonies if they issue at the same time, by 

 hiving them together, or if this cannot be done, he may 

 hive them in separate hives, and then, towards evening, set 

 one hive on a sheet, and shake down the bees from the other, 

 so that they can enter and join the first. It may be safely 

 done, even if several days have elapsed before the second 

 colony swarms ; although in this case, I prefer to sprinkle 

 both swarms with scented sugar-water. I have doubled 

 natural swarms in this way, repeatedly, and have never, 

 when they were early, failed to secure from them a large 

 quantity of honey. In sprinkling bees, let the operator 

 remember that they are not to be drenched, or almost 

 drowned, as in this case, they will require a long time to 



