232 NATUKAL SWAKMINa. 



their bees to the woods ; and it is next to impossible, even 

 for the most careful, to prevent sueh occurrences, if their 

 bees are allowed to swarm. 



Apiarists will then recognize that it is very important to 

 follow a method, which will nearly, if not altogether, pre- 

 vent natural swarming. But in order to prevent it, we 

 must know the causes of it. 



464. Natural swarming, so far, has been considered as a 

 natural impulse in bees. Yet, it can be prevented, for it is 

 always caused by uneasiness, as we will show in the next 

 paragraph, or by an abnormal condition of the colony (465). 

 It is caused : 



1st. In the majority of instances, by the want of room in 

 the comb. By want of room, we do not mean want of 

 empty space in the hive, but want of empty comb for the 

 queen to deposit her eggs (97), or for the workers to de- 

 posit their honey. So long as bees have an abundance of 

 empty space below their main hive, they very seldom swarm ; 

 but if it is on the sides of their hive, or above them, they 

 often swarm rather than take possession of it. 



This happens, not only in the Southern latitudes, where 

 the swarming instinct is so powerful, but even in our North- 

 ern or Middle States. This fact is corroborated by Sim- 

 mins, whose non-swarming system is based on the idea of 

 keeping " open space and unfinished combs at the front, or 

 adjoining the entrance." (Eottingdean, England, 1886.) 

 Persons who are unacquainted with the details of bee-keep- 

 ing have no idea how suddenly the honey harvest comes, 

 and how rapidly the combs can be filled, when it once be- 

 gins. Strong colonies which were almost destitute, just at 

 the opening of the crop, owing to the large amount of brood 

 they were raising, have been known to harvest twenty 

 pounds, and more, in one day. When bees are thus gath- 

 ering large quantities of honey, and the combs are becom- 

 ing crowded, so that the ceUs, from which the young bees 



