SWARMING. 
53 
is not much above what takes place in an ordinary hive, the 
idea of producing a monster colony to fill a large bee-house or 
a garret is preposterous. It is true there have been cases of 
an extraordinary yield of honey and combs, but they seldom 
double the number of bees contained in a medium sized hive, 
and will not in this region yield fifty pounds of honey. Such 
a hive if kept twelve years would not yield over five hundred 
pounds of honey. Whilst one colony on the swarming plan 
by doubling their numbers only every two years, would at the 
end of twelve years have produced sixty-four swarms, which 
would then in one season, at twenty pounds each yield more 
than a thousand pounds of honey. 
WHEN TO EXPECT SWARMS. 
There is no probability that a colony will swarm except it 
is collecting lifcney quite freely. They would be reckless to 
start a new colony when there was no probability that it 
could be maintained. If the hive is very large so that the 
bees aro not likely to fill it, or if they should fill it, if it con- 
tains three or four bushels, there will not likely bo more than 
one chance in ten for thoir swarming. But if they are gath- 
ering honey freely and are strong in numbers so as to be 
crowded for room, and the weather is fair, swarms may be 
expected to issue between nine in the morning and three in 
the afternoon. There is some variation from this rule, 
especially iu after-swarms. About the time that swarms are 
expected, invert the hive and blow a little smoke among the 
bees to drive them efi the combs. If queen-cells are found 
capped over, a swarm may be looked for immediately. Al- 
though if all the circumstances are favorable, they will some- 
times swarm when they have got no farther on at most than 
to have queen cells started. This was generally the case last 
season. 
Drones generally begin to appear before the swarm- 
ing commences. But the presence of capped queen cells is 
the best evidence of their intentions to swarm. To the in- 
experienced this turning up a hive to examine it is quite a 
formidable undertaking, but the dread of it soon vanishes on 
trial. In all operations involving danger of an onset, be suro 
to always have the first blow. Give them smoke enough to 
alarm them aud make them submissive beforo the hive is 
