ARTIFICIAL SWARMS. 
253 
bees were deprived of their queen, if they only pos- 
sessed eggs or young larva;, they would not fail to rear 
another,” &c. There are numerous instances of their 
doing this, but it is not to be depended upon, espe- 
cially when left in a hive full of combs, as the following 
experiments tend to prove. 
SOME EXPERIMENTS. 
Several years since I had a few stocks well supplied 
with bees, and every indication of swarming present, 
such as clustering out, &c., but they pertinaciously ad- 
hered to the old stock, through the whole swarming sea- 
son ! Others apparently not as well supplied with bees 
threw off swarms. I had but few stocks, and was very 
anxious to increase the number; but these were provok- 
ingly indifferent to my wishes. Taking the assertions 
of these authors for facts, I reasoned thus : In all pro- 
bability there are eggs enough in each of those stocks. 
Why not drive out a portion of the bees, with the old 
queen, and leave about as many as if a swarm had is- 
sued? Those left will then raise a queen, and con- 
tinue the old stock, and I shall have six instead of the 
three, that have been so obstinate. Accordingly, I 
divided each, examined and found eggs and larvse. Of 
course all must be right. Now, thought I, my stocks 
can be doubled at least annually. If thej' do not 
swarm, I can drive them. 
THE RESULT UNSATISFACTORY. 
My swarms prospered, the old stocks seemed indus- 
trious, bringing in pollen in abundance, which to me 
at that time, was conclusive that they had a queen, or 
