October IS, 1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
327 
end achieved by this plan is that while not depopulating 
any stock beyond what it is well able to afford, yet a strong 
swarm, and one which cannot fail in an average season 
to yield a good surplus, is obtained. Every bee-keeper 
is aware that a large swarm is more profitable than a 
small one: true, it is said that after a certain weight— 
6 lbs. I believe—extra weight of bees do not give a cor¬ 
responding advantage, but, generally speaking, it may be 
taken for granted that the larger the swarm the more 
profitable it will be. If, in addition to this, we are able 
to take the large swarm early in the season the profit 
will be greatly increased unless the weather is most un- 
propitious. Now in taking an artificial swarm from one 
stock the chief fact which we have to keep in mind is that 
if too large a swarm is taken the stock will be depopulated 
to such an extent that it will be a very considerable time 
in regaining strength, and may quite possibly not recover 
that year. In taking one swarm from several stocks we 
may make the swarms as large as we like, because if three 
stocks cannot afford the necessary bees and combs we 
may call to their assistance even a fourth or fifth stock. 
Again, a swarm taken from several stocks is, if one 
system is pursued, furnished at once with combs of brood 
and store, and thus in effect becomes a stock, and con¬ 
sequently rapidly forges ahead of swarms taken in the 
more usual manner. In addition to this a swarm pro¬ 
vided with built out combs, some empty, some stored 
with honey and pollen, and some filled with brood in various 
stages of development, actually increases in strength day 
by day, while the swarm provided even with built out 
combs certainly decreases in strength until the eggs 
deposited by the queen of the swarm begin to hatch, 
hhis fact is of itself an immense advantage, and should 
not be forgotten. Add to this the fact that the stocks 
from which a part of a swarm only is taken scarcely feel 
the loss, and are therefore in a fit condition for supering 
when stocks from which a large increase has been taken 
in the ordinary way are still comparatively weak in num¬ 
ber, and the case in favour of the methods about to he 
described for the benefit of those whose circumstances 
demand a small increase seems made out. 
In the case of skeps the most practical method, and 
one followed with almost invariable success, is to drive 
all the bees and queen from one stock and to place the 
swarm thus taken on the stand of the stock removed, 
placing the stock itself on the stand of another strong 
stock, and removing the latter to a new position. The 
whole of this manipulation should be performed in the 
middle of a fine, warm, sunny day when bees are flying 
freely; it will then be attended with certain success. A 
fertile queen should be introduced to the stock from which 
the swarm was taken, otherwise the bees will have to 
raise a queen, and considerable time will be consequently 
lost. The same method may be adopted with frame 
hives, but there are many variations which simplify the 
operation when manipulating hives with moveable frames 
of similar size. 
i^i/ 01 ' ^ ns ^ ance ’ there are six colonies in the apiary, 
and all are strong enough to yield for swarming purposes 
a couple of frames of brood, an increase can very easily 
be taken. Two frames of brood must be taken from five 
of the stocks; the adhering bees, and also the queen if 
she is on the combs, being brushed or shaken back into 
leir respective hives, and frames of foundation being 
inserted in the place of the removed frames, taking care 
not to place the frames of foundation together but placing 
a frame of brood between them. From the sixth stock 
the queen and a few bees only need be taken, and these 
being placed in a hive containing the ten frames, the hive 
containing these frames must be placed on the exact spot 
occupied by the stock from which the queen was taken. 
It perhaps simplifies the matter to take the frame on 
which the queen is seen and the adhering bees from the 
stock and to place the frame in the centre of the ten 
frames. This, however, is not at all necessary, but there 
is less danger of injuring the queen. All this manipula¬ 
tion must be performed in the middle of a fine sunny day, 
and if the combs removed to form the swarm do not con¬ 
tain a few pounds of honey, syrup must be given until 
outside supplies yield sufficient to render such assistance 
unnecessary. Another method is to remove five combs of 
brood—not taking the queen or any bees—from a stock 
and place them in an empty hive, alternating between 
each comb both in stock and swarm a frame of founda¬ 
tion. A comb of brood with adhering bees and the queen 
must now be removed from another colony, and this frame 
placed in the centre of the hive containing the removed 
frames, and this hive being placed on the stand of the 
stock from which the one frame of brood and queen was 
taken the operation is complete. One stock will now be 
queenless, and will therefore require attention. 
The great drawback in artificial swarming is the fact 
that driven bees return to their own stand. This may 
be obviated by the bee-keeper making an exchange of 
bees with another residing not less than two, or, still 
better, three miles distant. It is often most convenient, 
and profitable therefore, to exchange some dozen pounds 
of bees at swarming time, because when this can be done 
all the bees and their queen may be taken from a stock, 
and the stock being removed to any desired position suffi¬ 
cient of the bees from a distance may be given to the 
stock to rear its brood, and if necessary to raise a queen, 
and there is therefore no necessity to resort to what may 
seem to some to be the more intricate and difficult methods 
of proportionate increase. 
In concluding this description of swarming methods 
allusion must be made to “ nucleus swarming.” My 
experience of this method is very slight; but as it is a 
favourite plan with some bee-keepers of great experience 
it will be only fair to describe it. The plan is well 
described in the “British Bee-keepers’ Guide Book” in 
the following words: “ Examine one of the nucleus hives 
in which a queen has been reared, and if she has com¬ 
menced laying eggs confine her in a queen case. Kemove 
the division boards, and fill up the hives with frames con¬ 
taining empty comb or comb foundation. Now remove a 
strong stock to the stand occupied by the nucleus, and 
place the latter where the stock stood.” The flying bees 
thus entering the nucleus take care of the brood, and 
“ after thirty-six hours the queen in the nucleus may be 
liberated.” A fine day and strong stocks are necessary 
in this as in all the manipulations above described. 
It will be necessary to describe the formation and 
management of nucleus hives in a future article; but it 
may be well to explain that a “ nucleus” is a small stock 
consisting of a few frames of brood and honey—generally 
three—used for queen-raising. 
To those bee-keepers who are already acquainted with 
the rudiments of apiculture it may seem prolix and un¬ 
necessary to describe so fully the simplest manipulations, 
but many bee-keepers who have as yet all their practical 
experience to acquire are eagerly in search of the most 
detailed instruction on the simplest jioints. To take any¬ 
thing for granted means vexation for a beginner search¬ 
ing lor information, and bearing out the smallest detail in 
) describing a simple manipulation, is very often the cause 
