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Swarms Necessary To Be Seen

Categories: SWARMING.
Bee Keeping: Mysteries Of Bee-keeping Explained

It is essential that you see them, that you may know where they

cluster, otherwise it might be difficult to find them. They are apt to

go farther from the parent stock than others; sometimes fifty rods, and

then settle in two places, perhaps that distance apart, in some high or

inconvenient place to get at. (Let me not be misunderstood: I do not

say they all do so, or even the majority; but I wish to say that a

greater
portion of these swarms do so than of the first.) If they

cluster in two places, a queen may be in each, and they will remain,

and when you have hived one part you may think you have all. If one

cluster is without a queen, they will join the other if near; but when

distant, will be very likely to return to the old stock soon, unless

put together. I had a swarm light in two places, in exactly opposite

directions from the stock. In one, a good swarm had clustered; in the

other, some less than a pint. The small part had one or more queens,

the other none. It was perceived at once by their movements. Now, if we

provide a hive for a swarm, and get a few to set up the call or

buzzing, they will not leave till that is stopped. There is generally

no difficulty to start it. The surest way is to jar a portion or all

directly into the hive. It takes a few minutes to get composed, and

miss the queen. In my case I got them in the hive, and before they

missed the queen, carried them to the small cluster, which I got in a

dipper and emptied in front of the hive; they entered, and all were

peaceable. You will therefore see the necessity of watching such

swarms, to see if there is no separation, if nothing else.



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