BEE-SWARMS EXTRAORDINARY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 187, 16 January 1915, Page 5

BEE-SWARMS EXTRAORDINARY.

AX UNUSUAL EXPERIENCE. Bee-keepers are seldom bothered by nineteen queens ill one hive, but such lias been the experience .of Mr F. W. Sandford recently. Last night he brought to this office thirteen queen bee cells, most of them containing young queens. He explained that during the second week of Xoveniber 1014, a swarm of bees was put in a hive, with ten frames of full size foundation comb. Oil January 7, it was "supered" with seven frames, each holding four sections. Within a week the comb in there was full, ten sections being filledi with honey and capped over. Immediately after this it threw- off a. swarm. This was put back at night, and the queen caught and killed. Two days later it swarmed again. This swarm was put back, and the queen killed. During a fortnight this happened four times The swarms were four times thrown back, and the four queens killed. On Tuesday last it threw off another swarm. This was temporarily hived and while in this box the original hive was opened and 13 queen cells (all with young bees in them) weic cut out. .Then the swarm was put back. On Wednesday morning at 9.15 am., it again swarmed, throwing oil' a swarm larger than any yet taken in the apiary this year. It is the beemaster's intention to let it work on some foundation for a few days and then amalgamate it with tile parent, hive.