THE HONEY-BEE. 
211 
Prom another hive, made of straw, that hung out 
in the same manner, we extracted a swarm by a 
method described by some of the older Bee-masters, 
and with equal success: We carried the full hive 
into a dark place, — turned it up, — fixed it in the frame 
of a chair from which the stuffed bottom had been 
removed, — placed an empty hive over it, joining them 
mouth to mouth, — and partially drove it.* As soon 
as we perceived that about half of the bees had 
ascended into the empty hive, — knowing that in these 
cases the queen is generally amongst the foremost, — 
we immediately replaced the old hive on its former 
station, and removed the new one containing the 
queen, to a little distance. As the former had plenty of 
eggs and young brood, they were at no loss to procure 
another queen ; while the other having a queen, pro- 
ceeded to work in all respects ns a natural swarm. 
With such a hive as Huber’s, or any other square- 
shaped hive that opens in two parts vertically, the 
satisfactory proofs of the complete success of the operation. 
The hive contained a considerable quantity of honey, and, 
what was of greater consequence to the naturalist, the piece 
of brood comb which had been inserted, of about two inches 
square, contained the remains of two royal cells, one of which 
was open at the end, while the other had its opening in the 
broadside. Prom these appearances we infer, that, from the 
first cell a queen had issued in the natural way, and had suc- 
ceeded in destroying her rival in the other, effecting her pur- 
pose by tearing open the cell in the quarter which afforded 
direct access to the vital parts of her rival’s body. 
* By driving is to be understood the process of forcing the 
bees out of a full hive into an empty one. The mode of 
operating is described at length in page 227. 
