The Cycle of the Year 
65 
Behavior of the issuing swarm. 
The issuing of a swarm is one of the most exciting and 
interesting incidents in the apiary. The bees rush from the 
hive, giving the observer the impression that they are pursued 
or “possessed of the devil.” They appear intoxicated with 
the “swarm dizziness” and whirl in “bacchanal delight,” as 
if drunk with joy. Even the beekeeper becomes excited. 
The bees circle in the air and the whirling swarm may drift 
about the apiary for a time. There is an excitement in the 
“swarm tone” which is infectious. 
It is especially to be noted that swarming bees rarely 
sting, and it is commonly stated that they cannot sting 
because their abdomens are distended with the load of honey 
in the honey stomach. This latter statement is incorrect, 
if taken literally, but even the hardened beekeeper finds 
enjoyment in walking into the midst of the circling swarm, in 
spite of the fact that he has probably tried to prevent swarm¬ 
ing, and he needs no veil under such circumstances. 
Clustering. 
The swarm after a time begins to settle on the limb of a 
tree or some such support (Fig. 46) and the excitement is 
past. Like the issuing of the swarm from the hive, the 
incentive to cluster is not understood. The queen may be 
the first to alight, and this seems quite natural since she is 
heavy and a poor flyer compared with the workers, but she is 
just as likely to join the cluster after it is partly formed. 
However, the cluster is usually not formed if the queen has 
not accompanied the swarm. One feature is noticeable in 
the forming cluster, however, which perhaps throws some 
light on the subject. It is well known that when bees are 
thrown in front of a hive the abdomen is raised and the wings 
are fanned vigorously. At such a time the dorsal scent 
organ (p. 172), located on the intersegmental membrane 
between the sixth and seventh terga of the abdomen, is 
exposed by the bending ventrally of the last visible abdominal 
segment. During clustering, the bees on the outside of the 
F 
