90 SUCCESSFUL BEE-KEEPING. 
PREVENTION OF SWARMING. 
For about twenty days, in the swarming season, the 
bees may attempt to swarm. There is no way of con- 
fining the queen to the hive by contracting the entrance — 
with “blocks,” “gauges,” or other traps, for the reason, 
among others, that bees vary greatly in size. Many fer- 
tile queens are able to go any where that a worker can, 
being longer but no larger. If our queens cannot fly, no 
swarms will be lost. But the queen may get down on the 
ground, in attempting to go with the swarm, and if a 
board be adjusted to the hive with one edge on the ground, 
she will be likely to crawl back into the hive, attracted 
by the great noise of the bees returning in search of her. 
If the attempt be seen, she should be found and returned. 
This rarely takes place, and only through neglect Even 
if a queen be occasionally lost, the swarm will rear another, 
or her place may be supplied from small nuclei kept on 
hand at this season for emergencies. Destroying, once in 
ten or twelve days, all queen cells, and giving the bees 
more room, will effectually prevent such attempts. 
PURCHASING BERS. 
Look into the hive to see that it contains a good stock 
of bees: they will show themselves at once, on being dis- 
turbed. The combs should be pretty regular, consisting 
of broad sheets of worker cells, and not small, irregular 
combs, or patches of drone cells which are worthless to 
transfer to movable frames. These things equal, the 
most valuable hive is the one whose contents will weigh 
the most. i 
