Page:Jardine Naturalist's library Bees.djvu/213

Rh when natural swarms might be looked for. At that time it is likely royal brood will be found in the combs, or at all events, abundance of eggs and larvæ of workers, from which to rear an artificial queen,—and the males are also at this time numerous;—a state of things indispensable to the success of artificial swarming. The mode of operation is various, and has been described by almost every writer on the subject of Bees. With common hives the process is somewhat difficult, and not always successful. The following experiments, however, will shew that it is not impracticable. From the first to the third week of June, our hives had all thrown their top or prime swarms. But instead of sending off their seconds, or casts, ten or twelve days thereafter, as is generally the case, four of them had not swarmed nearly three weeks beyond that period. This was in all likelihood owing to an unfavourable change of weather, which, by delaying the swarming, had furnished the reigning queen with an opportunity of putting to death her intended successors. In this state of things, from the crowded condition of the hives, a mass of bees as large as a man's head, hung from the alighting-board of each, a grievous sight to the apiarian, as these outliers are quite idle. We resolved, therefore, to try artificial swarming with one of these hives, and to regulate our proceedings with regard to the others according to the issue of this. Availing ourselves of the discoveries of Schirach and Huber, we cut out of an other hive a piece of comb of about 2½ inches square, containing eggs and larvæ of