HINTS ON THE MANAGEMENT OF BEES. IV. SWARMING AND HIVING BEES. (Continued from the New Zealander of April 3, 1847)

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 167, 5 January 1848, Page 2

HINTS ON THE MANAGEMENT OF BEES.

IV. SWARMING AND HIVING BEES. (Continued from the New Zealander of April 3, 1847 )

By the Rev. W.C. Cotton, m.a.

If the swarm bat alighted on a small bough, nothing is easier than to hive them. Spread a cloth on the grouud, and on it place the bottom board of the hive. An assistant must then hold the stem on which the bees are settled on each side of the cluster, so that it may not fall to the ground, when you with a sharp knife cut it off. Place the twig with the bees hanging to it gently on the bottom board, and then set your hive over it, propping it up on one side that the beei which are still on the wing, may find their way in. Lap the cloth round over the hive on all sides but this one, and otherwise shade it well from the sun, and your work 11 done 'til the even, when you must set the hive where it i* to stand. You should however keep an eye upon them during the day, or else when you go to move your hive you may find ii empty, the bees having flown. But in such a case it often happens that they have returned back to the parent-stock, and I will tell you how to judge of it, if you did not see them go back. A stock which has thrown off a strong swarm has for «ome days after, an exhausted look, until a number of young hees are hatched, to fill up the vacant space in the hive— so that you may geneially make a pret«y good guess whether the swarm which you safely hived, but was gone by the evening has returned to the parentstcck, or fled to the wood. If the parent-hive ia a» crowded as before, if there is still a great fanning at the door, you may console yourself under your disappointment (and it is no slight one to find an empty hive when you expected to find a full one) by thinking that the swarm has returned home again, finding that the Queen has not made her appearance at the appointed place. And in this case you must look out for a swarm the next fine day. I once had a swarm go back which which I knew was led by a Queen, for I saw her pass in procession along the lighting board. I was surprised at this, when my puzzle was cleared up by my little bee«warden (the boy who watches for my swarms, and is so fond of his work that he is more than half a bee himself,) finding the Queen hung up in a cobweb between some palings over which the bee 9 had passed in their way to the place where they alighted. This also prove? that the bees do not follow the Queen to any place she lights upon, for were it so, the Avhole swarm should have been in and about the cobweb, but flys along with them to some spot five ' on by the advanced guard of the swarm. I have since confirmed this idea by some othsr experiments which I shall noc now describe, but will probably give the result of them at i ome future opportunity. My little bee-warden bai learned from m* 1 to catch the Queen, as she is leading out the new swarm — he can very often lay hold of her after she has settled in the midst of the cluster (>ow may put your hand into the midst of it if you do it sott and iearleisly), and he has a very sharp eye for finding her on the ground, for she often falls at the mouth of the hive at swarming time, surrounded bj a cluster of bees as a body-guard. The method of hiving beei which I have given above can only be followed when the swarm settles on a bough which you can easily cut through with a sharp knife. If they alight on a branch which is too thick I to cut through, or one which you do not like to deatroy* an apple-tree for example, you must vary your mode of action. Have the hive held close under the swarm, so that the long beard of bees may hang down into the hive itself till it touches the bottom (or rather the toji) ; then give the bough a sudden shake and the bees will fall down into the hive — brush off into it with a feather any clusters which may still cling to the bough, then, still holding the hive in the same position, put the bottom board on it, as a sort of cover to the bees. By the help of another person turn the hive into its proper position, and set it on the ground near the foot of the tree on which they settled : after four or five minutes confinement raise up one side of the hive by meant of a stick, so as to give the bees who are still flying about access to their fellowi, and if the Queen is safely hived, they will all speedily join her. But if you see that the stream of bees is setting out of the hive rather than into it, you may suspect that all is not right — search any cluster which you may see lying on the ground near the hive, any bunch which may still be on the tree, and if you see the Queen seize her gently, and pat her into the hive. A novice should not attempt to hive his bees for himself, ii they settle in more difficult places, but send for some more experienced master in the craft if one is within reasonable distance, having first carefully shaded the bees, or else perhaps they may be off before his artival. If there is no help at hand he must c'en do the best he can. If they cluster on a post or stem of a large tree, you must use a bunch of feathers, or still better your h uid, and so coax as many of the clusters as possible into the hive. Look out slurp for the Queen* for if you seem c her aud get her into the hive, all is right and the rest will follow. I believe that the old Queen always leads the first swarm, for this reason : that as soon as any combs are built in the new box, the Queen lays a vast number of eggs in them, as though she were only continuing a process begun in the old hive. I have taken a comb with eggs in it out of a hive the second day after swarming. I hardly think a young Queen leading a colony a day or two atter she issues from the cell, could produce eggs so soon. This matter, however, I hope to clear up some day, by marking the Queen of a hive in the early spring, and tracing her thiough all her swarmmgs during the coarse of the summer. I s&id that second iwarms give more certain signals of swarming. If you put your ear close to the top of ths hive in the still of the evon, some days after the first swarm has riven, you will hear one of these signals— a cry very unlike any other ever heard from a bee-hive :-— Peep, pc peep, pepe peep, — cries one Queen, Peep, pc peep, pc pc peep, answers another in a higher Jlcey. One cry it that of that of the reigning Queen, the other is that of a full-grown Queen-bee still confined in her cell, where she is kept by the worker-bee» a closs prisoner, for if she had her will, and was allowed to come forth before the moment of swarming, either she or the reigning Queen would fall in single combat. When this noise is heard in a strong stock, look out for some more swarmi. A bee-master who has only been used to the Englise rate of increase, will be perfectly sur«. prised, and as it were overwhelmed with the multitude of swarms which will after the firstor second year issue from his hives. Further increase will no longer be an object with him 1 What he will then desire is to get as much honey a? possible from his existing stock. How this is to be done I purpose to tell you when I speak of bee- produce. I forgot to mention above, that there is one state of the weather which often inducei a swarm to rise later in the afternoon than two o'clock.

When it hat been raining in the morning and forstvaral days before, and then the sun bursts out and a hot sultiy evening succeeds, on such an f*«n as this, a •warm which has been for some days ban&r : l^Ue weather, will often vise as late as four o'clock ufcr c your eyes wcU open then, as indeed you always should amongst your bees, either to do something for them, or to learn son.ethmg from them. CTo be continued )