POSTSCRIPT. 259 



confined till night, to be certain that the 

 queen is with them ; for, if not, they will 

 foon fhew it by their uproar, and, in confe- 

 quence, muft be taken before the ftock, and 

 fet bottom upwards. But if they remain 

 quiet till night, take them to a very confi- 

 derable diftance, in another garden or field. 

 An empty hive mould be fet in lieu of the 

 combed hive, during the operation, to amufe 

 the bees as they return from the fields. 



As Mr, B. approves the Shirachean doc- 

 trine of a , common egg being capable of 

 becoming a queen by the nurfing of the 

 workers, why fhould he infill: on there be- 

 ing a royal cell in the hive ? when common 

 eggs would ferve the purpofe ; only caufing 

 a delay of a few days before a young 

 queen, fo reared, would be capable of laying 



eggs. 



Another method he gives of artificial 

 fwarming is, " to take all the bees out of 

 " the hive, and put into it a confiderable 

 <c number of common bees, who will hatch 

 " out the brood, and rear them, and often 

 " fucceed very well. But this plan is liable 

 " to fome imperfe&ions 3 for, from the time 

 S 2 " the 



