ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. 
16 & 
without any further trouble, your parent-stocks and forced 
swarms 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 forced stocks, may drive 
from them, if they can, every bee. If the bee-keeper can¬ 
not conveniently obtain a swarm from a distance, he may 
use, for this purpose, the first natural swarm which comes 
off in his own Apiary; and by delaying to make artificial 
colonies until natural swarms 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, which, when 
divided in the way above mentioned, will adhere to 
their new locations : “ On an evening, when the next 
day promises to be clear and warm, drive out a swarm, 
and set it in the place of the parent-stock. Next day, 
when it is warm, pour some honey among the bees in 
the box, and in a few- hours they will swarm.”* 
The directions given for the formation of artificial colo¬ 
nies, differ, in some important respects, from any furnished 
by other writers, and are so simple that any one accustomed 
to handle bees can easily follow them. They enable the 
* A forced swarm may be made to adhere to its new location as follows : Secure 
their queen, when they are shaken out of the hive; and when they show that 
they miss her, confine them to their hive, until their agitation has reached its 
height. Then open the hive, and as the bees begin to tako wing, present to them 
their queen (see p. 159). When they have clustered around her, they may be 
treated like a natural swarm. To do tills with every forced swartn would take 
too much time; but It would answer well when the forced swarm is to be 
divided, as above, into four or flvo parts. 
Mr. P. J. Mahan, of Philadelphia, informs me that ho has several times suc¬ 
ceeded In making an old colony adhere to a new place in the Apiary, by banting 
the hive, after tbo bees have boon shut in, oven at the risk of slightly injuring somo 
of Its combs. When it is opened, the boes will ily out in great numbers, out 
neatly an will return to their hive on the now stuml. 
