272 
Beekeeping 
of the improvement of stock by selection and he attributes 
much of his success to his efforts in this line. 
REMEDIAL MEASURES 
The preventive measures previously mentioned are usually 
sufficient to control swarming in a colony used in extracted- 
honey production but, in the crowded conditions of the 
comb-honey hive, in a good season, there will probably be 
some colonies that will persist in their preparations to 
swarm. In a poor season, when the colony lacks the stimu¬ 
lus of nectar coming to the hive, it has not the conditions nor 
the number of bees necessary for swarming, but when con¬ 
ditions during early brood-rearing are favorable and when 
there is abundance of nectar during the main honey-flow, 
there is also usually a larger population, and preparation for 
swarming may be begun and often completed in most of the 
colonies in the apiary. It then rests with the beekeeper so 
to manage these colonies that, by keeping the bees together 
and by keeping them in working condition (p. 85), he may 
obtain practically as large a crop as if swarming had not 
occurred. He now aims not so much to prevent swarming 
as to satisfy the instinct and to overcome the evils incident 
to division of the working force. The method to be adopted 
depends largely on the size and location of the apiary. If 
the bees are all in one apiary, where they are under the 
immediate care of the beekeeper every day, the bees may be 
permitted to swarm naturally but, in comb-honey produc¬ 
tion especially, colonies in out-apiaries can be expected to 
produce more, without the loss of swarms, if by some reme¬ 
dial manipulation the swarming tendency is controlled to suit 
the convenience of the beekeeper. If an assistant is kept at 
each apiary, it becomes essentially like the home apiary, 
but it rarely pays to keep so much help. 
Control of natural swarms. 
Swarms which issue may be managed in several ways. 
(1) They may be allowed to fly into the air and cluster on 
