268 
Beekeeping 
Direction of the beekeeper's efforts. 
The work of the beekeeper in swarm control may be 
divided into two phases, for his manipulation of a colony 
depends on his recognition of the degree of persistence in 
swarming which a colony exhibits. He may try to increase 
the number of colonies which make no preparations to swarm 
and may prevent swarming in the colonies which respond 
to simple measures. To these manipulations may be given 
the name preventive measures. 
However, the beekeeper finds some colonies which he 
knows from experience cannot be kept from swarming by 
cutting out queen cells, by the removal of a frame or two of 
brood or by other simple expedients. To describe the dif¬ 
ference which the beekeeper recognizes is somewhat difficult, 
but, in general, if the larvae in the queen cells are still small, 
preventive measures may be used. In cases of the building 
of queen cells obviously due to supersedure or when the 
working force is relatively not so strong as the brood, an 
artificial swarm should not be made. To the more drastic 
measures, used on colonies with advanced larvae in the queen 
cells which will persist in their preparations to swarm, the 
name remedial measures 1 is proposed. 
PREVENTIVE MEASURES 
These may be grouped under the three heads given be¬ 
low. Whatever the system of management, the earliest 
manipulations in swarm control will usually be preventive 
measures, for the beekeeper cannot know very far in advance 
which colonies will fail to respond to the less drastic manipu¬ 
lations and in any event these will deter swarming in the 
larger number of colonies. 
1 In Demuth’s bulletin on “Comb Honey,” he uses the term “control 
measures,” but the words “preventive” and “control” are not mutually 
exclusive. 
