PREVENTION or NATURAL SWARMING. 231 



aud cluster together ; and not unfrequently, in the noise and 

 confusion, other swarms fly off, and are lost. We have 

 seen the bee-master, under such circumstances, so perplexed 

 and exhausted as to be almost ready to wish he had never 

 seen a bee. 



451. Mr. J. F. Racine, of Wallen, Allen Co., Indiana, 

 had 505 natural swarms from 165 colonies in the summer of 

 1883. Sixty-one swarms came out on the 3d of July. We 

 will let him tell the story in his own way : 



" In the morning, as soon as the watchword had been given for 

 the first swarm, there was no rest. Primary, secondary, and 

 after-swarms, all passed under the same limb of the same tree. 

 The bees were no sooner shaken in a basket, and emptied in front 

 of a hive, than there was another cluster gathered, in the same 

 spot. Some swarms had no queen, while others had 3, 4, and 

 even 5 of them. Some were young queens, some were old queens. 

 When we could find a queen, we caged her (536) to preserve 

 her from being balled (53S). The sixty-one swarms were hived 

 in 20 hives, and surplus oases were given them at once. A man, 

 who had come with 5 hives to buy swarms, said that he had 

 never seen the like, neither had I, although I have kept bees for 

 57 years. And the best of it is, I did not want any swarms at 

 all that season. " 



463. 5th. It is admitted, by all progressive people, that 

 man can achieve a great deal by artificial selection and cul- 

 tivation of plants and animals. The same selection is ad- 

 visable in the reproduction of the honey-bee, and an increase 

 from selected colonies or selected races, cannot always be 

 had by natural swarming. In this, artificial swarming is 

 much better, and gives much more satisfactory results when 

 ever an increase is desirable. 



453. 6th. The numerous swarms lost every year, is a 

 strong argument against natural swarming. 



An eminent Apiarist has estimated, that, taking into ac- 

 count all who keep bees, one-fourth of the best swarms are 

 lost every season. While some bee-keepers seldom lose a 

 swarm, the majority suffer serious losses by the flight of 



