CHAPTER XXVII.

NATURAL SWARMING,

THIS has been described in the first part of this book ; but as there are so many things in natural swarming that should be well understood, we trust we will be excused if we venture to examine briefly a few of them.

The time or season of swarming depends on both the locality and the management of the hives. Some places are warmer and earlier than others. Some places have more spring flowers than others. In the southern parts of our island, swarming, in ordinary seasons, should commence in the beginning of May. The earliest natural swarm we have ever known was at Rosebank-a small village on the Clyde, in the centre of Lanarkshire. It came off on the 28th of April. We have heard of swarms coming off in April in Dorset and Devonshire. These are early parts. In Lancashire our hives begin to swarm about the 10th of May; but much depends on autumn treatment. If hives kept for stock are crammed full of bees, then they will be ready to swarm four weeks sooner than those that are left to their own resources. But we have already touched on this point, and will return to it again.

When hives are ready to swarm and mean to do so, eggs are set in royal cells generally about four days before the swarms issue. The combs are well filled with

brood from the egg up, in all stages. The hives are chokefull of bees. The noise and internal heat of such hives are very great. They may or may not cluster outside. Generally speaking, as has already been said, small hives do cluster and large ones do not. Whether this clustering of small hives is owing to the fact that they are hardly able to send off respectable colonies without first accumulating outside, or from other causes, I am unable to say ; and whether the large hives swarming before they are quite so full as small ones is owing to the inability of the bees to ventilate by their own natural powers such large hives, I am unable to say.

Hives, whether large or small, that have but little honey in them, are much better filled with bees than hives containing a good deal of honey. Bees do not sit closely on honeycomb, even on the eve of swarming. Hungry hives, i.e., those with little honey in them, yield much the largest swarms, and afterwards remain stronger in bees. First swarms vary in weight from 4 to 8 lb. ; second swarms from 1 lb. to 5 lb. The second swarms of small hives are hardly worth the hives into which they are often put.

Next day,

We have said that the eggs are generally four days in the royal cells before first swarms issue. But sometimes the weather prevents the bees from swarming till the young queens are nearly matured. The time is therefore uncertain. Sometimes there is a miscarriage. The swarm goes without the queen, and soon returns. probably, a successful attempt will be made, both swarm and queen going together. Sometimes there are several miscarriages. The swarm always returns. How is this? The queen cannot fly. In attempting to follow or go with the swarm she falls over the flight-board, and may be found crawling on the ground. The noise of the bees

on their return attracts her into the hive. This may happen again and again; hence these miscarriages. Such queens are old, and will die soon. If a young virgin queen could be obtained anywhere, it were wise to unite her to the swarm rather than carry the old one to it. Either old or young queen put into a hive with the swarm will make it stay there. And if the old queen be found below the flight-board or in front of it, and we have not a young one to take her place, the better way is to put her into the hive prepared for the swarm, and place it on the old stand-removing the old hive for half an hour, or till the bees have all returned. After the bees have gone into the empty hive and found their queen, it can be placed in any part of the garden, and the old one put back to its original place.

While a swarm is in the act of leaving the hive, there sometimes comes a sudden change of the atmosphere. The sun is clouded, the air chilled, rain may fall. The bees already on wing cannot fly-they are all full of honey, and come to the ground in thousands. (Bees are unable to carry such heavy loads in shady cold weather as they carry in the sunshine.) If a heavy shower follow, thousands upon thousands never rise. The attempt to swarm at an unfavourable moment is often disastrous. The skill of the bee-keeper can do little in such a case. If a small cluster reach the place chosen by the bees, they should be brought back and thrown on the front of the old hive. If the sun shine out warmly in the afternoon, or even next day, many of the bees which fell will rise again and go back.

Swarms generally alight on a branch of a tree or bush, or hedge, if either of these grow near the hives whence they issue. Where there are no trees or hedges, they will choose to settle on a stone or post in a fence, or a

clod, or big weed in a garden. It is wise to have some bushes near an apiary managed on the swarming system; for swarms can be easily hived from branches that bend. I need not take up time or space in describing how swarms should be hived, for everybody with a little courage can do this.

Hiving is generally done by holding the hive prepared for the swarm underneath it and then giving the branch on which it hangs a sudden shake or jerk, when all the bees lose their hold of the branch and fall into the hive. The hive is set on the ground with its crown downwards, and mouth and swarm exposed. The board is instantly placed on and over the whole, just giving the bees time to gather their feet and get hold of the sides of the hive (about half a minute) before it is inverted into its proepr position. Let it stand for a few minutes to gather in all the bees that have not been hived-the noise inside will speedily attract them-and then let the hive be placed where it is to remain. When a swarm goes into the centre of a thick hedge, or settles on a stone or wood fence, the hive is placed over it, so that the bees can easily go into it. When it settles on the trunk of a tree the hive is tied on above it; and when it settles on a top branch far from the ground, the branch is gently cut and let down.

Nothing should be put in hives intended for swarms but cross-sticks and guide-combs. Ignorant people often wet their insides with sugared ale, or sugar-and-water, a most foolish practice.

Another foolish practice, and a widespread one, is to make a great effort to induce swarms to settle by drumming on kettles and frying-pans, thus producing artificial thunder, with a view to frighten the bees from all idea of flying away. Sand and soil are thrown up amongst the

bees to make them believe it rains! Such artificial thunder and rain have no more influence over a swarm of bees or its destination than the sigh of a butterfly in love.

Fortunately swarms almost always settle near home for a short time before they seek a more abiding habitation elsewhere; but when they have decided to go to a distance, and have commenced their march, all the old women and frying-pans in England will not stop them. We have known one or two fugitive swarms shot at. The poor fellow who shot said, "If I can hit and bring down the queen the bees will return." He was right enough in his ideas, but unfortunately he did not hit the queen, and lost his swarm.

These fugitive swarms rise higher than houses and trees, and travel at the rate of about eight miles an hour; so it is hard work to follow them: still a man swift of foot can follow them, if no impediments come in his way.

If a swarm is not speedily hived it may be lost, and sometimes it will hang for a day before it departs. Old combs in the hollow of a tree or roof of a house, are very inviting. All hives that have lost their bees in the winter should be placed where swarms cannot find them. Some dishonest persons expose their dead hives with combs in them, for the purpose of catching swarms not their own. Such people are thoroughly dishonest, and would steal horses and cattle if these could not be identified.

When a swarm alights on two separate places or bushes, both lots should be hived together.

In large apiaries, two swarms, and sometimes three, issue at the same moment, and generally unite. The queens go with the multitude, and follow the noise. is an awkward affair when two swarms unite, for to separ

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