aside, is sufficient to convince every earnest bee-keeper of the folly of waiting or watching day by day for swarms coming off naturally.

But the reader may say, "I am timid, and can't believe that I could manage to swarm my bees." A great American once said: "I can't do it never did anything; I'll try has performed wonders; but I will do it has performed prodigies." The reader must allow me to tell him that he can swarm his bees artificially if he wills to do it; and what now appear wonders and prodigies in the management of bees, will by-and-by be felt in his hands to be as simple as taking a draught of water.

But suppose the reader adopts this art of swarming, how is he to know when his hives are ready for swarming, and what size of swarms to take when they are ready? These questions are important. A little experience will give more instruction than our pen can. Of course when bees begin to cluster at their doors they are ready for swarming. Large hives seldom cluster before swarming, and small ones almost always do. But by using the smoke of fustian we can ascertain when hives are ready for swarming—that is to say, full enough for swarming. When smoke is blown into a hive the bees run up amongst the combs, and if the hive is lifted off the board there will be but a thin sprinkling left on it. When they can so run up amongst the combs the hive is not full

-not ready to swarm. But when it is ready, the hive is full of bees, so that the smoke drives them from the door, but not up amongst the combs, which are already well packed. Well, on lifting this hive there will be a rope or ring of bees on the board about as thick as a man's wrist. The smoke has driven them from the door as far as they can get, and when the hive is lifted, the bees of this rope begin to run over the edges of the board, so that, when

the hive is replaced, many bees are on the outside of it, most behind. Of course the number of bees on the board, or the thickness of the ropes, will be greater in some hives than others, according to their construction, size, and ripeness. This is a far better test of the readiness of a hive for swarming than the appearance of drones in it, or the heat or noise of it. A hive is often ready to swarm before drones are perfected in it; and in unfavourable weather it is often as full of bees as it can hold when there is neither much noise nor heat. The examination should be made when bees are not in the fields —that is, when they are all at home.

The other question may be answered by saying that we follow the rule of the bees themselves. When a swarm comes off naturally, bees enough are left to cover the combs barely or thinly, so that the brood of the hive may be all hatched. Now, in artificial swarming we leave the combs of the old hive as well covered as in natural swarming. If too many have been driven up with the swarm, we put a few spoonfuls back; and if too few have gone with the swarm, we drum up a few more, and unite them to the swarm. A little experience will make this matter safe and easy to the hand and judgment of the reader.

In bee-houses, and where many hives are standing close together, there is a little difficulty in placing the swarm and mother hive aright, that is, so as to prevent any of the bees of the one going into the other. When each can be placed at least four feet from the old stand, one to the right and the other to the left, there is scope for successful action in this matter. We often succeed-nay, always succeed—though there may be less room than four feet on each side; but then we have to use a little stratagem. The flight-boards and front of the hives have to be disfigured, so that the bees may not know or discover the en

trance of the old hive. When the doors of the two are so near each other, some of the bees in the swarm will probably return to the mother hive. This we prevent by so altering the appearance of the door for a day or two that the bees do not know it, and after working one or two days they will not go back. A few pieces of broken bricks or stones or coals laid on the flight-boards up to the entrance answer admirably.

The reader will remember that we said, the farther hives are placed asunder the better; and where the artificial system of swarming is practised, the wisdom of that remark will be acknowledged. Artificial swarms must not, like natural ones, be placed 12, or 20, or 40 yards from the stands whence they were taken; for if they are not, the bees will return to their old hives. If moved one or two miles off, they will be out of the influence of their old home, and, weather permitting, will do well there. My father being on good terms with all the farmers of his parish, was permitted to put his bees on any convenient place on their farms. Well, on an evening he often swarmed three or four hives, put the swarms on a light hand-barrow, and with the assistance of another carried them 1 mile off, placed them under a hedge, or in an old lime-kiln or quarry, or in any odd corner, where they remained unmolested till they were removed to the moors.

Bee-Barrow.

This barrow is simply made by six larch rails, very

thin and light, altogether weighing not more than 7 lb., being held together by eight screw-nails. As soon as the bees are placed, the nails are withdrawn, the rails tied together, and carried home. When only two hives are removed, a common "yoke" placed across the shoulders, the hives hanging like a couple of pails of water, is a safe mode of carriage.

In our practice we do not remove swarms to a distance, simply because we have not time to do so. The most of our hives are placed in cottage and market gardens some miles from home; and being a florist, our busiest time is in the swarming month, May. The evening is the best time to swarm artificially, but then we have most customers to speak to. So we go and swarm our bees about midday, when they are busy at work, place the stocks and swarms as far asunder as convenient, and find that they do very well. We have no anxiety or trouble with first swarms, and could swarm 100 a-month during the hour for dinner, if they were all in our own garden.

It will be seen and understood that we take care to see that the old queen goes with every first swarm. Hence we look for her, and the way and time of doing so has been already described. But it is not absolutely necessary to see the queen in every swarm, or even to look for her. Young beginners, mere 'prentice hands in beemanagement, will succeed beyond their expectations by drumming rather more than half the bees of a hive ready for swarming into one prepared with sticks and guidecomb for the swarm, and placing them right and left off the old stand. And when no time is spent in looking for the queen, anybody can take off a swarm, artificially, in ten minutes at most, and often in five minutes. It should be remembered that five minutes is quite long enough to drum in hot weather; when weather is cooler

the bees do not run so fast. If the queen does not go with the swarm, all the bees will return within the space of an hour to the old hive. Farther than loss of time, no harm has been done. A second effort will have to be made.

"When we fall we aye rise up again,

And so will we yet."

It is but rare indeed that the queen does not go with the bees on being first drummed up.

But in artificial swarming, the old or mother hives are deprived of their queens, and, generally speaking, have no eggs set in royal cells. They are therefore without the appearance or prospect of successors to their thrones. What happens? The bees, on discovering their loss, are thrown into a little consternation, which is of short duration. Some few bees will now and then come out of their hives, run about the front of them, and go in and tell the rest she is not outside. When fully convinced that she is gone for good, they commence to prepare royal cells for the reception of eggs-common worker-eggsfrom which they raise queens. Often they let the eggs selected for queens remain where they find them, but so alter the size and shape of the cells containing them, that they become at once royal cells.

No fears need be entertained as to the ability of the bees making queens for themselves. They never fail to raise queens, if the hives have left in them sufficient bees to cover their combs thinly. Well, these eggs placed in royal cells, or otherwise royal cells built around them, become perfect princesses in fourteen days, when the piping and barking begin, which we explained in a former chapter. After three nights' piping, second swarms may be expected, if the weather be at all favourable for swarming. And second swarms are less particular than first