5G 
BEE-CULTUHE. 
bladed sharp knife several times through the cluster, he cut 
the legs and wings off a great many of the bees. Three years 
afterwards he found many of these same crippled bees. I 
had nothing to say, only that he had a great deal more skill 
than I had in identifying individual bees after so long a time. 
But to return to the bees about to swarm. Many tell us . 
the queen comes out and all the bees follow her. So also in 
clustering, and when she enters a hive they all rush in with 
delight. I never find it so with my bees. Although the 
bees seem aware of the necessity of her presence among them, 
and are slow to settle without her, nor will they remain clus- 
tered or stay in the hive except she be with them. Casts or 
after-swarms, have young unfertile queens which are not so 
steady in their habits as old ones, and do not settle so 
readily with the swarm, and are more likely to come out after 
being hived. But in first swarms I never see the queen until 
a great many and generally nearly all the swarm has issued. 
How they decide what bees will come out, and what ones will 
stay in, I cannot tell. I am glad we have not to comprehend 
every thing; and this, like most every thing else, will come 
right independent of our knowing how. Generally nearly 
three-fourths of the bees leave with the swarm, old and young, 
but principally the old. [An old bee is known by the ends 
of its wings being worn ragged, also the yellow down is more 
or less worn off their bodies, giving them a darker appearance 
than young ones.] The bees have now rushed out precip- 
itously and are whizzing in every direction, making as much 
noise as the hundred hives at work close by. Who could 
help admiring so beautiful a phenomenon as the swarming of 
bees, especially when there is added to this the rustic music 
of horns and tin pans. It is pleasing to hear such things on 
account of their expression of the feeling of enthusiasm and 
the associations of early times. Besides it pleases the chil- 
dren, and so far as I cm see is no hindrance to the clustering 
of the bees. It is well if there are no high trees for them to 
cluster on. It is best to make no delay in hiving them, for 
if left too long they may leave and go to the woods. If you 
have many bees, and especially if a few days previous has 
been bad weather, there is danger that other swarms may 
issue and settle with them. If a swarm is coming out whilst 
another is yet unhived, throw a sheet over the first and tie 
it: in, that tho second cannot get at it. No difference how 
