28 BEE-CULTURE. 
degree of cold. Ido not believe it is possible to freeze them in ordinary 
circumstances, if the hive is sufficiently ventilated. 
CHAPTER X. 
SWARMING. 
DIVERS opinions have been entertained relative to the theory and 
expediency of swarming, and these different opinions have led to very 
different methods of Bee-management. One virtually believing that 
the propensity of the Bee to swarm, should not be gratified, or that the 
Creator (thus impeaching His wisdom,) has given to them a wrong bias, 
has devised some method to interrupt or prevent this “ wild freak of 
nature.” Another, fearing that the Bees (poor ignorant creatures) do 
not understand the best method of conducting this process, or that they 
will mistake the best time of attending to the matter, has undertaken to 
hasten the process by some “hot bed” arrangement, or volunteered 
to give them a few elementary lessons, relative to a matter which he 
understands [query] much better than they. In the view of one, the 
Bees swarm too often. In the view of the other, they do not swarm 
often enough. Both of these cannot be right, perhaps neither of them. 
I take the liberty here to suggest, that it is barely possible the Bees 
understand the thing, and their Creator also, nearly as well as those 
who set themselves up as teachers in this matter : the first or non-swarm- 
ing plan, is about as wise and profitable as it would be for a dairy-man 
to prevent the natural increase of his stock, by keeping on his farm 
perpetually, a parcel of farrow cows. The other, or artificial swarming, 
is about as wise and salutary an interference, as it would be fora 
boy to catch the old hen and squeeze her because she does not lay soon 
enough. There has been too much officious meddling in this matter. 
Between these opposite extremes, or with Scylla on the one hand, and 
Charybdis on the other, we find the Bees occupying the golden mean, 
where truth and safety dwell, confident, it would seem, in the position 
which they have taken, unchanged in this indomitable propensity, and 
intent upon giving to their keeper a “ windfall,” as soon as they are 
