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wide board running widthwise from the ground to the 
top of the stand, at an angle of about forty-fivo degrees, 
to assist the bees in entering the hives when they come 
home loaded with honey. If this is not done many of 
the bees will fall in the grass and weeds, and being heav- 
ily loaded, are unable to enter the hives and are lost, 
when, if a board, forming an inclined plane, was put in 
front of the hives, they would readily crawl up and be 
saved. These stands may be painted white, giving the 
apiary the appearance of taste and neatness, in contrast- 
ing the white with the beautiful green carpet beneath. 
NATURAL SWARMING. 
Here is a point in bee management that too little 
thought or attention is given to, for reasons we have giv- 
en in another chapter, bees fail to swarm regular. Some 
seasons they swarm excessively, frequently ruining the 
parent stock, and quite often tho young swarms. 
Artificial swarming is preferable where the person is 
well posted in the system, but as all are not, it becomes 
necessary to give the best instructions in relation to nat- 
ural swarming. Where a person has the time to watch 
their bees, and there is plenty of shrubbery in the imme- 
diate vicinity of the apiary for the bees to alight upon, 
in many cases natural swarming is just as well. It de- 
pends very much upon the season, the condition of the 
oolony and the advantages your apiary possesses. One 
swarm from a colony in a season is usually better than 
more ; in all cases the parent stock should be examined 
immediately after swarming, and see if too many bees 
have not left the hive. There should be enough left re- 
maining in the hive, in all cases, to cover the young 
brood. In case there is not bees enough left to oover 
