ARTn'ICIAL SWARMING. 
163 
nlthout any flirUier trouble, your parent-stoebs and forced 
Bwarms will alike prosper. 
One great advantage which this method has over all 
others, is, that it secures, so simply and effectually, the 
necessary number of bees for the parent-stocks. Inexpe¬ 
rienced persons, instead of being perplexed to know how 
many bees they shall leave in the foreed stoeks, may drive 
from them, if they can, every bee. If the bee-keeper ean- 
not conveniently obtain a swarm from a distance, he may 
use, for this purpose, the first natural swarm which comes 
off in his owm Apiary; and by delaying to make artificia/ 
colonies until natural srvarms begin to issue, every such 
swarm may be used for forming at least four artificial 
swarms. Or, by the method recommended by Dr. Don- 
hoff, of Germany, he may secure a colony, wdiich, when 
divided in the w'ay above mentioned, rvill adhere to 
their new' locations; “ On an evening, when the next 
day promises to be clear and warm, drive out a swaun, 
and set it in the place of the parent-stock. Next day, 
when it is W'arni, pour some honey among the bees in 
the box, and in a few' hours they wall swarm.”* 
The directions given for the formation of artificial colo¬ 
nies, ditter, in some important respects, from any furnished 
by other writers, and are so simjile that any' one accustomed 
to handle bees can easily follow' them. Ihcj' enable the 
• A forced swarm may bo made to adhere to Its new location ns follows: Secure 
tholr queen, when they are shaUen out of the hive; and when they show that 
they miss her, couBue them to their hive, until their agitation lum reuehod its 
nelght. Then open the hive, and as tho bees begin to take wing, present to them 
Ihoir queen (see p. 169). When they have clustered around her, they may he 
treated like a natural swarm. To do this with every forced swarm would toko 
too much tlmo; but It would answer well when tho foreed swarm is to ho 
divided, as above, Into four or flve parts. 
Mr. P. J, Mahan, of Philadelphia, informs mo that ho has several times stlc- 
eaectod In making an old colony nilhoro to a new place in the Apiary, by limiting 
tho hive, after tho bees have bticnahut tn,even at tho risk of slightly injuring aomo 
of iU combs. When It is opened, tho hoes will fly out In great uumhers, out 
neatly an will return to their hivo on tho now atoud. 
