Swarm Control and Increase 
273 
some support, after which they may be hived and placed in 
the desired location. When the bees have clustered they 
may be shaken into a box or basket and then placed in front 
of the hive that they are to occupy. They should be placed 
so that some of the bees find the entrance promptly, other¬ 
wise the bees may begin their characteristic march in the 
wrong direction (p. 68). If the bees cluster on a limb which 
can be cut, this may be removed with the adhering bees and 
carried to the hive and the bees shaken off. If the cluster 
forms on the trunk of a tree or post or in some other place 
from which they cannot be readily removed, a box contain¬ 
ing a piece of comb (Fig. 47) may be placed above and 
preferably in contact with the cluster and the swarm will 
soon move into the box, where it may be handled. Care 
should be taken to get the queen, as otherwise the bees may 
again take wing and return to her. 
(2) If the queen’s wings are clipped (p. 260), she is unable 
to fly with the swarm and, after leaving the hive, she falls 
to the ground. The swarm generally does not cluster if 
the queen is not with it or, if it does cluster, it soon takes 
wing and returns to the old hive, provided it does not have 
a virgin queen with it as is sometimes the case if swarming 
has been unduly delayed. In the meantime, the beekeeper 
should find the queen on the ground and place her with the 
returning bees, after adjusting the hives as described later. 
(3) If a queen and drone trap (Fig. 30) is placed over the 
entrance, workers can leave, but when the queen attempts 
to leave she is retarded by the trap. She then, in her at¬ 
tempts to escape, usually goes into the upper part of the trap 
and is unable to return. The swarming bees then behave 
as they do when the queen’s wings arc clipped, and soon 
return. To allow the queen to go below with the bees it is 
necessary only to pull the tin slide which is shown partly 
drawn in the illustration. Here too the hives are adjusted 
as when the queen is clipped and of course the swarm is not 
left in the old brood-chamber. The inexperienced beekeeper 
should perhaps be warned not to leave a queen trap on the 
