NATURAL SWARMING. 205 



SWARMS CLUSTERING. 



When the queen goes forth with the swarm, they 

 almost invariably cluster on some bush or other con- 

 venient place, within five or at most ten minutes 

 after leaving. Mr. Quinby says, perhaps one swarm 

 in three hundred will depart for the woods without 

 first clustering. My experience differs but little from 

 this. About the year 1840 we had a top swarm to 

 issue, and before they were half out they struck off 

 in a line or stream in the direction of a dead hollow 

 tree, which stood in a field at the distance of perhaps 

 forty rods from the apiary ; a strong current of bees 

 seemed to extend almost from the hive to the tree. 

 All the efforts we could make to confuse or change 

 their course, by throwing dirt, water, &c. in the faces 

 and eyes of the advancing column, proved to be 

 unavailing; they kept moving onward, perfectly re- 

 gardless of all obstacles thrown in their way. When 

 they arrived at the tree they immediately began to 

 alight, and enter at a small opening or knot hole, 

 some forty or fifty feet from the ground. Soon after 

 all had thus entered, we cut the tree down, made an 

 opening in the cavity in the trunk, and put the bees 

 into a hive, removing them to the apiary from whence 

 they emigrated. They went to work without further 

 trouble and did well. Since that time I have known 

 of two or three instances exactly similar to this, 

 occurring with neighboring bee-keepers. 



We have had a swarm occasionally that evidently 

 designed leaving without clustering; but several 

 assistants being at hand, through their combined 

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