Chapter XIII: Swarming

Time to expect them, 187 All Bee-Keepers should understand it as it is, 188 Means of understanding it, 188 Inverting a stock rather formidable at first, 189 Requisites before preparation of Queen's cells, 189 State of Queen-cell when used, 190 State when swarms issue, 190 Clustering outside not always to be depended upon, 191 Examinations--the result, 191 Remarks, 192 Conflicting Theories, 192 Both Old and Young leave with swarms, 192 Cause of the Queen's inability to fly suggested, 193 Evidence of the Old Queen's leaving, 193 Mr. Weeks's Theory not satisfactory, 194 Particular directions for testing the matter, 196 Empty Hives to be ready, 197 Bottom-boards for hiving, 197 Description of swarm issuing, 198 Manner of hiving can be varied, 199 Usual Methods, 199 When out of reach, 200 When they cannot be shaken off, 202 All should be made to enter, 203 Should be taken to the stand immediately, 203 Protection from the Sun necessary, 203 Clustering Bushes, 204 How swarms are generally managed that leave for the woods, 205 Nothing but Bees needed in a Hive, 206 Seldom go off without clustering, 207 Do swarms choose a location before swarming? 207 Means of arresting a swarm, 208 Some Compulsion, 208 How far will they go in search of honey? 209 Two or more swarms liable to unite, 211 Disadvantage, 211 Can often be prevented, 212 Indications of swarming inside the Hive, 212 Preventing a swarm issuing for a time, 213 To prevent swarms uniting with those already hived, 213 When two have united--the method of separating, 214 No danger of a sting by the Queen, 215 Some precautions in hiving two swarms together, 216 How to find Queen when two strangers are together, 217 Boxes for double swarms immediately, 218 Returning a part to the old stock, 218 Method of uniting, 219 When care is necessary, 219 Swarm-Catcher, 220 Swarms sometimes return, 222 Repetition prevented, 222 Liability to enter wrong stocks, 223 First issues generally choose fair weather, 224 After Swarms, 225 Their Size, 225 Time after the first, 225 Piping of the Queen, 225 May always be heard before and after swarm, 226 Time of continuance varies, 226 Time between second and third issues, 227 Not always to be depended upon, 227 A Rule for the time of these issues, 228 When it is useless to expect more swarms, 229 Plurality of Queens destroyed, 229 The Manner, 230 Theory doubted, 231 After-swarms different in appearance from the first, when about to issue, 232 Time of day, weather, &c., 233 Swarms necessary to be seen, 233 Returning after-swarms to the old stock, 235 When they should be returned, 235 Method of doing it, 235 More care needed by After-swarms when hived, 237 Two may be united, 237

CHAPTER XIV.

LOSS OF QUEENS.

Of swarms that lose their Queen, 238 A suggestion and an answer, 239 A disputed question, 240 A multitude of Drones needed, 241 The Queen liable to be lost in her excursions, 243 The time when it occurs, 243 Indications of the loss, 244 The Result, 245 Age of Bees indicated, 246 Necessity of care, 246 Remedy, 247 Mark the date of swarms on the Hive, 248 Obtaining a Queen from worker brood, 249 They are poor dependence, 249

CHAPTER XV.

ARTIFICIAL SWARMS.

Principles should be understood, 252 Some Experiments, 253 The result unsatisfactory, 253 Further Experiments, 254 A successful method, 256 Advantages of this method, 257 Artificial swarms only safe near the swarming season, 259 Sometimes hazardous, 259 Some Objections, 259 Natural and artificial swarms equally prosperous, 260 This matter too often delayed, 261 Is the age of the Queen important? 261

CHAPTER XVI.

PRUNING.

Different opinions as to time, 262 Another time preferred, 263 Should not be delayed, 263 Objection to Pruning, 264 Stocks pruned now are better for winter, 265