220 VIRGIN SWARMS. 



occupied by the strong one. The bees of the latter will rush 

 in crowds into the former with their burdens of farina and 

 honey, and thus an augmentation of power will be obtained, 

 which will render the weak hive able to collect a sufficiency 

 of food for the winter. In order to deceive the bees, it would 

 be advisable to make the entrances of the two hives as nearly 

 similar as possible. 



A swarm from a swarm is a rare occurrence in this country, 

 nor is it a very desirable event to the proprietor, as from the 

 lateness of the season, when such a swarm makes its appear- 

 ance, there is little chance of its amassing a sufficiency of 

 honey to support it through the winter. The honey which is 

 produced by the swarm of a swarm is generally called virgin 

 honey, and is held to be of thepurest and most genuine quality, 

 though for what reason, we are at a loss to conjecture. On 

 this subject, l'Abbe Tessier makes some pertinent remarks. 

 He says, " care should be taken that a swarm does not throw 

 off a swarm the same year, in order that it may not be too 

 much weakened. Nevertheless I am certain, that a hive 

 which has swarmed in the middle of May, will swarm again 

 in fifteen days, and a third time in ten days afterwards. 

 Of these three swarms, the first will throw a swarm the same 

 year, by which one hive will have produced four swarms in 

 one year ; but this extraordinary case depends on circum- 

 stances which take place very rarely. A favourable spring, 

 an abundance of honey and a hot summer, may be accounted 

 as the causes of a multiplication so very wonderful *. In 

 general cases, a person ought to be contented with one swarm, 

 and to prevent that swarm from swarming again by every 

 possible stratagem." 



* It is a remarkable fact, that a single hive of bees, at Mr. Clayton's, 

 Charnock Moss, in the summer of 1829, cast four times, two of which casts 

 each afterwards cast twice in the same season, thus producing eight casts of 

 bees, all of which were hived. Whilst Mr. Clayton was hiving one of these 

 casts, another knit amongst the hive, two were hived together, and were 

 afterwards joined by a third cast. 



