Swarm Control and Increase 
279 
Remedial manipulations. 
The remedial measures so far discussed are useful for 
colonies that have swarmed, in making the most of the parts 
of the divided original colony. However, these require al¬ 
most constant attention in some seasons and this is neces¬ 
sary just when the beekeeper can least afford to give it, if he 
is managing a large number of colonies. Because of the 
desirability of the manipulations being in accordance with 
the plans and schedule of the beekeeper, rather than at the 
whims of the bees, as in natural swarming, beekeepers, 
especially producers of comb-honey, have tried many ways 
virtually to create the conditions which are found after 
swarming, but to do this with advantage to the crop. By 
such a system the comb-honey producer can maintain sev¬ 
eral apiaries, visiting them at regular intervals, with a knowl¬ 
edge that swarms will not issue in his absence, except in 
those cases where every rule seems to fail. However, the 
losses can be made so slight that it does not pay to keep an 
assistant at each apiary, if the proper measures are adopted. 
Fortunately for the beekeeper, bees give warning in advance 
of the probability of the issuing of a swarm by building 
queen cells. By examining each colony once in seven to ten 
days during the swarming season, the beekeeper can subject 
colonies making these preparations to the chosen manipu¬ 
lation, which may be a preventive or a remedial measure, 
depending on how far preparations for swarming have pro¬ 
gressed. If the manipulations given under the title of Pre¬ 
ventive Measures are inadequate, the colony may be handled 
with another end in view, namely, to satisfy the desire to 
swarm and to prevent permanent division. It is further 
possible, especially in apiaries where increase is desired, so 
to manipulate every colony before the swarming season 
arrives that there will be little swarming, even in comb-honey 
production, but since increase in the number of colonies 
during or just before the honey-flow is at the expense of the 
crop from that flow, beekeepers usually find it advanta- 
