76 
Beekeeping 
in bee literature, it being overlooked that instincts are called 
into action only by definite conditions in the environment. 
It is also a common error to assume that bees voluntarily 
call forth this instinct when “things look favorable,” but 
this is similar to the giving of human motives to other 
actions and is unjustifiable here as elsewhere. This kind 
of error is mentioned again here because it appears so fre¬ 
quently in the discussion of swarming. 
Overcrowding of the hive, lack of ventilation, heat, an 
abundance of drones and other conditions have been re¬ 
peatedly given as causes or contributing conditions to 
swarming. Unfortunately for these speculations, the con¬ 
ditions named may be partially or entirely lacking at the 
time of swarming, although generally they are present in 
colonies about to swarm. To establish the cause of swarm¬ 
ing, however, it is first necessary to find a condition or 
conditions which are invariably present. While this prob¬ 
lem is as yet unsolved, an analysis of some of the facts ob¬ 
served may be helpful. 
It should first of all be observed that swarming is par¬ 
ticularly prevalent in the northern regions. Near the 
northern limits of the white clover belt, for example, there 
is a definite, relatively short period when swarming may 
be expected. This comes before and during the white 
clover honey-flow but when the nectar is coming in freely 
swarming may become rare. Beekeepers usually explain 
this by saying that the bees are too busy gathering nectar 
to swarm, but this explanation is unsatisfactory. Farther 
south, there is a less well marked swarming season and the 
percentage of colonies which swarm or which prepare to 
swarm decreases as a rule, until under average tropical 
conditions swarming becomes much less abundant, the 
swarming period being less definite and more prolonged. 
There are some exceptions to this general statement. Swarm¬ 
ing may extend over six weeks or more in parts of Florida but 
is never as excessive as it sometimes is in the North. 
It should further be noted that colonies headed by young 
