SWArMs. 83 



the workers do not kill the drones at the 

 iifual time, a few may be killed by the fin- 

 gers ; and then thrufting a fmall twig into 

 the hive will provoke the workers to finifli 

 the bufinefs. Auguft is the ufual time of 

 mavTacre. The ftrongeft flocks expel them 

 the fooneft : however* if they are not killed 

 then, the cold weather effectually deftroys 

 them. 



Great numbers of workers are bred before 

 princefTes or drones, which laft do not usu- 

 ally appear before May, unlefs in early 

 fprings; and the populous ftocks will have 

 them in March, and often in April. 



Hives, however, will often be fo full of 

 bees as to clufter out, and frequently fwarm, 

 without any appearance of drones ; though it 

 is probable there may be afezv, but the wea- 

 ther too unfavourable for their fhewing 

 themfelves, as they are more tender than the 

 workers* 



LYING or CLUSTERING. 



The lying or cluttering out of bees, on 



or about a hive, has been commonly looked 



G 2 upon 



