Feptunb<r . 9 , 1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
283 
home. If possible the queen should be seen, because it 
is absolutely necessary that she should go with the swarm 
and not remain in the old stock. If one-half of the bees 
have been driven into a new hive and the queen has not 
been seen, the driven bees may be placed 3 or 4 feet to 
the right of the old stand and the stock 3 or 4 feet to the 
left. In a very few minutes by the manner of the bees 
we can ascertain which hive contains the queen. If the 
swarm seems to settle and become contented it may be con¬ 
cluded that the queen is there, but if the bees of the 
swarm run anxiously about and do not seem inclined to 
settle and stay in their new home the queen is still in the 
old stock. To that consequently the whole swarm will 
by degrees return unless we again drive the stock until 
the queen goes with the driven bees. When the queen 
goes with the swarm the manipulation is ended, and the 
swarm is successfully taken. If owing to this second 
driving the swarm is too large, and the stock is conse¬ 
quently too much depopulated, part of the swarm may be 
returned, or the stock may be placed nearer to the old 
stand than the swarm, and it will accordingly draw away 
a portion of the flying bees from the swarm. Again, if 
the swarm is not large enough and too many bees remain 
in the stock the swarm may be placed nearer to the old 
stand, so that some of the bees of the stock may desert 
and go to the swarm. In every case it is better to err on 
the safe side and to take half a swarm rather than a whole 
one, unless we have absolute confidence that sufficient 
bees will remain in the stock to feed and attend to the 
brood, and if necessary to raise a queen. In all proba¬ 
bility no queen cells will be found in the stock. If this 
is the case no cast must be expected until from the four¬ 
teenth to the seventeenth day after taking the swarm. A 
cast will, however, be altogether avoided by giving either 
a ripe queen cell or young queen—as in the case of a 
natural swarm—and thus bringing up the stock to its 
full strength again in a much shorter time than would 
otherwise be possible if the bees were left to raise a young 
queen according to their own insticct. 
In taking an artificial swarm from a bar-frame hive 
there is much less trouble in ordinary cases, because in¬ 
stead of driving the bees in order to find the queen it is 
only necessary to remove each frame singly until the 
queen is found. Then take the frame just as it is with 
the queen upon it, and place it in a new hive fitted with 
frames filled with foundation, or at any rate having 
starters, and close up to both the stock from which the 
queen and frame have been stolen, and also the hive into 
which such queen and frame have been inserted. The 
latter, hive being put in the exact position previously 
occupied by the frames, and the frames being placed in a 
new position some distance from the old stand now occu¬ 
pied by the swarm, and the work is finished. Many bees 
will be flying, and will return direct to the old spot, and 
at once begin to work out the comb. Many will desert 
the old stock and join the new colony headed by their 
old queen. If a young queen or a ripe cell is given to 
the old stock no cast will issue, and there will be a shorter 
break in. the brood-rearing, both swarm and stock will 
rapidly increase in strength, and by giving each a little 
syrup every day ..a perfect success will follow this exceed- 
mgly simple manipulation. 
'there are many modifications of this method. In the 
case of a “Stewarton hive,” if the queen is seen in one 
of the boxes, by removing this box and afterwards pro¬ 
ceeding in the manner above pointed out, an artificial 
swarm is at once taken most easily. In “ The Apiary,” 
an instance is given of a queen being seenln a glass super, 
and the ease with which an artificial swarm was therefore 
at once achieved. What, then, it may be asked, are the 
conditions which ensure success ? They are :— 
1, A large surplus population. 
2, Fine warm sunny weather. 
3, Care in placing the swarm and stock. 
4, The presence of the old queen with the swarm. 
Everyone will see at once that unless the old queen 
goes with the swarm the bees will not remain, because un¬ 
less. the bee-keeper gives them a queen they must become 
extinct and would construct nothing but drone comb. 
The old hive may safely be deprived of its queen, because 
the presence of eggs and brood in its earlier stages gives 
the bees power, if necessary, to raise a successor to save 
them from the extinction which must, under less favour¬ 
able circumstances, most surely overtake them. Stocks 
strong enough to yield a swarm will almost invariably 
contain either flying drones or at least capped drone cells f 
but if young queens have to be fertilised, care must be 
taken to have drones flying freely in fine weather by the 
time when the young queens will be desirous of meeting 
them. 
Considerable experience and judgment are necessary 
in a bee-keeper before he is able to decide when a stock 
can afford a swarm, but the advantage of taking these 
artificial swarms is so great that few now care to allow 
natural swarms to issue. A change in the weather may 
delay a natural swarm from issuing for weeks, and in every 
case there is considerable delay and loss of time for some 
days previous to the date of issue. Again, the bee-keeper 
generally has some other business to attend to, and it is 
often utterly impossible to have the apiary so closely 
watched as to preclude the chance of losing a proportion 
of these swarms issuing when they are not expected, and 
when there is nobody near to hive them. 
Many stocks are ruined by the too eager bee -keeper 
taking a large swarm from them before they are able even to 
yield a small one. It is far better to have one good strong 
stock than a weakling swarm and a depopulated stock. 
If there is any doubt as to the ability of the stock to yield 
a good sized swarm, it is better policy either to delay 
taking the increase until such stock is crowded with bees, 
brood, and honey to such an extent as to almost drive them 
to send out a swarm of their own accord, or to take a 
portion of a swarm from two or more stocks instead of 
calling upon one stock only to supply the bees necessary 
for a strong swarm and for rearing the brood in the old 
stock. In every case it is good management to feed both 
stock and swarm for a few days, and if wet and un¬ 
favourable weather intervenes it is absolutely necessary. 
The stock will generally only require a small quantity, but 
the swarm may be more liberally fed, but sufficient only 
should be given to make the bees to build their combs 
and to live upon; otherwise, if the practice of “extract¬ 
ing ” from “ brood combs ” is exercised the honey can 
hardly be guaranteed “pure and unadulterated,” even if 
the practice of extracting from “brood combs ” does not 
itself contaminate the honey. With proper care ancl 
attention an artificial swarm is a certain success, but 
the fact still remains that very many bee-keepers are 
unable to take a good swarm without ruining the stock. 
The cause of this non-success is variable, and may gene¬ 
rally most easily be discovered. If attention is paid to- 
what may be called the elements of success there need 
be no apprehension as to the result of the manipula¬ 
tion, but a sanguine expectation of final success. If 
the bee-keeper cannot detect the elements of success* 
it will be better to call in a friend who has sufficient. 
