On Natural Swarms. 
47 
At other times a swarm will proceed from 
a hive the bees of which have already filled a 
super ; at others, again, from one on which a 
super has been placed, but which does not 
contain even the smallest piece of comb, so 
that none of the signs which have been laid 
down as predicting a swarm can be depended 
upon. 
Moreover, even when a swarm is on the point 
of issuing from the hive, it is often prevented by 
the appearance of a few clouds or a storm, by a 
strong wind from the south or from the north, 
by a few drops of rain ; any sudden change, in 
fact, in the temperature or the atmosphere will 
prevent a swarm from leaving the hive. It is 
therefore necessary, if the system of natural 
swarms is adhered to, that a continual watch be 
kept from early in May till the end of June, 
depending on the part of the country in which 
the hives are situated. The watch must be kept 
from nine o’clock in the morning till three in the 
afternoon ; moreover, this great loss of time 
takes place when every hand is wanted in the 
country, and sometimes even this watching will 
prove fruitless. 
It occasionally happens that after a swarm 
