On Natural Swarms, 
49 
floor-board some small wooden wedges, in order 
to facilitate the entrance of the bees. 
If the bees are on the ground, place your 
hive over them on two laths of wood, taking 
care not to crush them ; they will then go up 
into the hive. If they are against the trunk of 
a tree or a wall, they must be made to fall into 
the hive by using a broom in the way we have 
described above. When once the queen is in 
the hive, the bees will beat a retreat, and all 
those of the same swarm will unite together. If 
not, the operation must be recommenced. 
When the bees of a swarm are nearly all 
massed together in one spot, they must be hived 
before the evening ; for, if not, there is a risk of 
losing them altogether, since it often happens 
that, after searching about for a suitable spot, 
they will go off again at the moment you least 
expect it. Sometimes even, notwithstanding all 
precautions, it is impossible to keep the bees in 
a hive at all, although they may have been hived 
several times. 
If the weather be bad, it is advisable to give 
the bees some food for a few days after hiving 
the swarm. 
We are of opinion, however, that natural 
£ 
