66 
the swarming for several weeks, and frequently delay- 
ing it until the month of July, although the weather 
may be ever so pleasant ; the destroyed queen-cells 
have to be re-built before swarms can issue. 
The first indication of swarming is, a few are seen 
to leave the hive, while the bees of other colonies are 
busy at work. Some are seen to run out upon the 
alighting-board and suddenly return to the hive ; oth- 
ers take wing, fly around the entrance for a moment, 
and then alight and enter again. This may continue 
for even an hour, but all at once a tremendous hum is 
set up and the bees, young and old, rush forth by the 
thousand, till the whole air seems to be filled with 
them, crossing and re-crossing each oher’s track till 
finally they all begin to concentrate near some bough 
or convenient clustering place ; they alight and hang 
down in a cluster, a temporary resting place, prepara- 
tory to their longer journey to the forest. The first 
swarm is always accompanied by the old queen in the 
hive, and usually comes forth between io o’clock 
A. M. and 4 o'clock P. M., on pleasant days. 
The question generally arises: “What made the 
bees which had toiled so long and diligently to lay up 
their stores in that hive, suddenly take a notion and de- 
sert it in a body, to run the risk of fihding a damp, 
hollow tree where they might begin anew, and per- 
haps go over the same process?” 
