of swarms from a stock-hive; but nothing is proved by this beyond the
fact, that a thriving community has been weakened (if not destroyed)
by too much subdivision. The proprietor, therefore, must not imagine
that his care is ended with the return of a swarm to the parent hive.
Though one Queen has been removed, several successors are usually at
hand, and swarming may occur again and again, so long as more than
one is left. The hive must be watched more especially from the eighth
to about the twelfth day from the departure of a first swarm, after
which another rarely issues; the probability, or rather the certainty,
then being, that the first-liberated young Queen has succeeded in
destroying the others--an event always to be desired. But the symptoms
which precede a second issue are more unequivocal than those in the
previous case. The young princesses are now arriving at maturity, and
two or more may be ready to come forth at the same time; impatiently
awaiting the assistance of the bees to liberate them from imprisonment;
for, unlike the workers and drones, they are not allowed by their own
volition to leave their cells. In this state of confinement they are
objects of great solicitude, and are supplied with food through a small
orifice in their cocoon, till one of them is set at liberty, which
is never till she is able to fly. At this precise period, a singular
and plaintive call or croak, proceeding from the young Queens, may
be heard, often at a distance of several feet from the hive, and more
particularly in the evening. These notes are of two kinds, according
as the princesses emit them from without or within their cells. For
want of a more distinctive term, these sounds have obtained the name of
_piping_. To Huber we are largely indebted for the knowledge we possess
as regards this peculiarity in the natural history of the bee; and
his observations have since received abundant confirmation,--perhaps
from no apiarian more satisfactorily than from Mr. Golding. "The first
note of piping heard," says the latter, "is low and plaintive, and is
uttered by the princess already _at liberty_, and I have frequently
seen her emit it. She traverses the hive, stopping upon or near the
royal cells which still contain brood, and emits her _long_ plaintive
note. This, when the other young Queens are sufficiently forward
(generally in about two days), is answered by them from _within_
their cells, in a quick, _short_, hoarse note. After these last have
been heard for about two days, the swarm may be expected to come
off." "These sounds, therefore," in the words of Keys, "convey to the
apiarian one certain warning, that when heard, he may be assured the
first or prime swarm has escaped." But universal as this rule has
been considered, it has not been entirely without exception; for in a
stock-hive of Dr. Bevan's, in the remarkable season of 1852, swarming
had been so long prevented by bad weather, that a young Queen became
liberated, and escaping into a super, piping was the consequence for
two days before the issue of a _prime_ swarm.
After-swarms are frequently accompanied by more than one young Queen;
often by three or four, and always in the virgin state. "Indeed,"
observes Mr. Golding, "it would appear that all which are ready to quit
their cells (one only, be it remembered, being at liberty in the hive,
until the moment of swarming) go off with the swarm; leaving the more
forward of the younger princesses to come off with subsequent swarms,
or 'fight out' their title to the sovereignty of the parent stock at
home."
A third and even a fourth issue sometimes takes place, the intervening
periods successively becoming shorter, and more piping being heard.
As all the royal cells must have been tenanted before the old Queen
departed from the hive, it follows that from sixteen to eighteen
days comprise the limit during which, under ordinary circumstances,
swarming can occur; and thenceforth the Queen-bee is mute for the year.
Moreover, the worker brood originally left in the hive will now, or in
a few days, be matured, leaving the combs less occupied, probably in
any way, than at any other period of the year, until the young reigning
Queen is in a condition again to stock them with eggs. This state of
the hive is therefore considered by some as the most favorable for
examination and excision of old combs, and other operations usually
attended to in the spring.
I have known piping after a second swarm has departed, where no third
issue has followed. The second swarm, however, in this instance,
was restored to the stock-hive on the same evening, together with
one Queen. This is often the best time for making a reunion of
after-swarms; for I have usually found that all the Queens except one
are ejected on the day of swarming: she, being stronger than those
still in the parent hive, is able to destroy them on her return to
it. If a cloth is spread on a table, placed in front of the old hive,
at dusk, the bees of the swarm can be jerked out upon it, and guided
to its mouth. In two hours after the reunion just mentioned, piping
from a Queen at liberty was heard. The next day two young Queens were
ejected; one of them torn from its cell, not having attained its full
growth. From the other the sting was protruding, evidently the result
of a recent combat. Piping was again heard on the following morning;
and soon after, another princess, doubtless the last, was cast out of
the hive, which I took away still alive; making five in all, since the
issue of the first swarm. We may observe that when swarming has taken
place more than once, the original utilitarian principle no longer
impels the bees to guard the royal cells; the reigning princess being
then permitted to tear them open and destroy any prospective rival.
No point has been better established, than the fact recorded by Huber,
as to the destruction of the supernumerary young Queens by their
combating together; the sovereignty remaining with the single survivor.
"In order," says Huber, "that at no time there may be a plurality of
females in a hive, Nature has inspired Queens with an innate inveteracy
against one another. They never meet without endeavouring to fight, and
accomplish their mutual destruction. If one combatant is older than
the rest, she is stronger, and the advantage will be with her. She
will destroy her rivals successively as produced. Thence, if the old
Queen did not leave the hive before the young ones undergo their last
metamorphosis, it could produce no more swarms, and the species would
perish."
It is not clear by what instinct bees are guided as respects
after-swarms, or rather as to the construction of royal cells; for, as
has been shown, these abound much more in some hives than in others.
The repeated issues occasioned by the presence of supernumerary young
Queens, although there has previously been a rapid development of
brood, not only leaves a hive comparatively depopulated, but the
succession of interregnums is mischievous as operating to suspend,
not breeding alone, but almost entirely the gathering of honey.
A different kind of instinct appears to direct the bees than is
observable at the time of the original issue; for the young Queens will
depart in weather that would be thought unfavorable for the issuing of
an _old_ one. "The reason seems evident," observes Mr. Golding; "for
when the proper age of the young Princesses has arrived, the swarm
must go off, or not at all, as the younger would be destroyed by the
eldest." As a natural consequence, there is evidently less of foresight
as regards the future place of abode. Where so much of prudence and
seeming intelligence are discernible in all the proceedings of these
wonderful insects, it is hardly to be expected that mere chance
should direct on so important an occasion as the change of residence;
although when a swarm suddenly finds itself in a comfortable dwelling,
by the act of hiving, it is rarely inclined to relinquish it. A hive
containing a few combs, placed in the season near an apiary, is almost
certain to receive a colony, which will sometimes fly to it at once,
without any previous clustering.[AB] The instances are numerous of
prime swarms proceeding a considerable distance to a new domicile,
carefully inspected and cleaned beforehand. I was an eye-witness to
an example of this, where the bees, taking a dislike to the hive in
which they had been housed, soon after quitted it; and, mounting high
in the air, flew in a direct line to the roof of a church nearly a
mile distant. But an after-swarm appears to have little or nothing of
preparation; and has been known, in seeming perplexity, to commence
comb-building in the bush on which it had alighted.
[AB] In the garden of a friend stood an untenanted hive, in which were
a few empty combs. Some straggling strange bees were observed hovering
about and in it, for several successive days; and, at my suggestion,
the hive was left undisturbed. On the day following, a fine swarm of
bees suddenly made its appearance, undoubtedly from a distance, and
entered the hive. In this instance, a few hundreds, or perhaps dozens,
of pioneers alone could have been in the secret as to the locality of
the chosen domicile to which they so sagaciously conducted their Queen
and a community of perhaps 20,000 bees.
_Uniting of Swarms._--It has been shown that it is easy to compel the
return of a swarm of bees to the parent hive; but their remaining there
depends much upon accidental circumstances. We have seen that several
young Queens are often only waiting their time and opportunity to leave
their cells and depart from the hive; and till all these are in some
way or other disposed of, there can be no progress made in the family.
Under such circumstances, many persons think it best to hive all swarms
in the usual way, and to strengthen the later ones by joining two or
three of them together; for, separately, these are rarely of any value.
In cases where more than one after-swarm or subdivided swarm, comes
out on the same day, each can often with little difficulty be shaken
into the same hive, at the time: or the branches on which such swarms
cluster may be cut off, and brought to one hive. Otherwise, a generally
certain method of union may be resorted to at night. At any time,
within a few days after the first swarm has been established, another
may be added to it. On the same evening of the issue, in front of the
one to which it is to be joined, place a table, over which spread a
cloth. By a sudden and smart stroke the bees may be displaced from the
second hive, and will fall on the table in a lump. Take the first-hived
colony and place it over them, raising it a little at the bottom, when
the bees below will ascend and join it, forming one family. In moving
this hive, let it be done with caution, for the combs, being at present
new and brittle, are otherwise apt to fall down. It is seldom that any
quarrel takes place if the business be done properly; but some persons
think that a little smoke previously blown into both the hives, has a
tendency to prevent fighting. Early the next morning move the hive back
to its former position, when one of the Queens will have been deposed.
In thus uniting swarms, the doubled colony should always occupy the
first hive. As a general rule, it may be remarked, that the mode the
most likely to succeed is that in which the bees are suddenly blended
together, without space or opportunity for individual recognition or
fighting, bee against bee; but it must be done when the first hive
contains but a few combs.
In this place it may be noticed, that in an apiary where a weak and
sluggish old stock is now observed, opportunity can be taken to add to
its numbers, by uniting to it an after-swarm, in the mode just pointed
out; though some persons would prefer puffing a little smoke to both
parties. If either Queen be removed, the strangers will usually be well
received, and this accession of numbers is almost certain to lead to a
vastly increased action and industry.
Like most other operations on bees, the mode of uniting swarms admits
of variety, according to choice and circumstance; and some apiarians
prefer to drive them, in the way for which general directions have
been given at page 152; a plan that may be resorted to almost at any
time. Another mode of junction can be effected by the aid of a sheet
of perforated zinc, inserted between the two hives about to be united.
There is little reason to doubt that the members of each colony of bees
are distinguishable amongst themselves by a certain peculiarity of
odour, which, if assimilated, appears to have the effect of preventing
mutual dissension. When the construction, therefore, of the hives
admits of their being brought into juxtaposition, the perforated zinc
allows a free circulation of scent between them, without permitting
actual contact of the bees. After leaving matters in this position
for two or three days, I have usually found, on withdrawing the zinc
divider, that no disturbance has ensued.
_Prevention of After-swarms._--Where the construction of the hive
admits of it, no doubt the repetition of swarming may be prevented by
depriving it of the royal cells. Under the head _Bar-Hives_, we have
alluded to the facilities given for this object; and it may be done
immediately on the issuing of a swarm, when but a small portion of the
bees will remain in it. Let the cover be unscrewed, and moved sideways
as required, puffing in some smoke on each side the combs, which must
be lifted separately, beginning first at one end of the hive, and then
the other, so as to work to the centre. Cut out the Queen cells as
you proceed, replacing the bar. A quarter of an hour will suffice for
the operation. In the meanwhile, the swarm may be hived in the usual
way, and afterwards permanently returned; for her majesty has now no
alternative; "stay at home," as Mr. Golding says, "she _must_. Or," he
continues, "after the first swarm is gone off, subsequent ones may be
prevented in this way: so soon as the _long_ note of piping has been
heard, cut away at the royal cells. The young princess, _already at
liberty_, will then remain Queen of the stock."
_Maiden Swarms._--Under peculiar circumstances of early season and
situation, a prime swarm will occasionally send forth another, the
original Queen again going with it; in such instances, termed a maiden
swarm; rarely, however, of much value. "In this case," says Dr. Bevan,
"it usually occurs between the twenty-eighth and thirtieth day of its
establishment. The only indication of the approach of such an issue,
besides those already enumerated, is the worker-combs, with which first
swarms generally store their hives, becoming edged with drone-cells."
Indeed, an indispensable condition necessary to a maiden swarm is a
Queen, capable of producing drones; and this rarely happens in the case
of a young one.
_General Directions on Swarming._--An absurd custom is very general
of beating a metal pan, or some such sonorous thing, usually called
_tanging_, on the occasion of bee-swarming. The practice, doubtless,
originated in the precaution formerly observed of ringing a bell,
or giving some signal of the flight of bees, with a view to an
identification of the property in case of its straying to a distance.
By degrees the idea became prevalent that the bees themselves were the
parties interested in the hubbub; but as regards them it is worse
than useless, and frequently prevents their settling so soon as they
would do if left quietly to themselves. The drenching or anointing of
a hive, intended for a swarm, with any kind of material, is another
common practice much better avoided. A dry clean hive is preferable;
only, if of straw, cutting off the loose ends. As respects the precise
mode of housing a swarm, no directions will meet all cases. After
rushing in great apparent excitement from the family domicile, the bees
form a cloud in the air, wheeling about in a thousand directions, and
exhibiting a scene of the greatest animation; then, for the purpose
of assembling together, they alight and cluster round the Queen that
has accompanied them, usually on a bush or branch of a low tree. The
hive must now be put close under the swarm, into which it is easily
shaken; or, according to circumstances, swept with a light brush,
which is all the better if made of very fine shavings; but care should
be taken not to crush any bees. The success of the operation depends
upon the inclusion of the Queen, when the new family will soon collect
with her, within the hive, on placing this in its proper position, a
little raised on one side, and shaded in some way from the sun. On
the occasion of swarming, bees are seldom much inclined to use their
stings, unless irritated by wind. The hiving ought not to be delayed,
especially with a hot sun, or the bees would soon again take wing,
perhaps for a long flight, and be hopelessly lost. A somewhat larger
hive may be selected for a full-sized early swarm than for a later one.
In case a swarm returns to the parent hive, which sometimes happens,
let the latter be watched, for it will soon re-issue, and perhaps on
the same day. Occasionally a swarm will divide and settle in two parts,
which, if near together, can be shaken into one hive. Otherwise a
junction may be made at night, in the way pointed out at page 193. An
observance of the advice of Gelieu, and others, is to be recommended,
not to allow the swarm to remain where it had been hived till the
evening, as is customary, but to place it at once, as soon as settled,
or within a quarter of an hour, on the spot (if at hand) it is destined
to occupy. In sultry weather raise the hive a little to admit air,
especially if a large swarm. When first hived, it is curious to observe
the caution with which bees mark the site of their new position, making
circuits in the air, wider and wider, till they clearly understand
the locality. Having done this, they are much perplexed at any
subsequent removal of their dwelling; nor do they ever, under ordinary
circumstances, re-enter the original parent-hive.
We may say a word as to the practice of some proprietors, with a
view of giving additional strength to a recent swarm: the stock-hive
from whence the issue took place is moved to a little distance, and
immediately that the swarm is settled in its new hive, the latter is
placed on the site which the other had just left. The outlying bees, on
returning home, will of course fly to the original spot, joining and
strengthening the new family. The old one must necessarily be weakened
in the same proportion, but it will soon be recruited by the maturation
of the brood which it is sure to contain. Sometimes this shifting of
the stock-hive has been allowed to be permanent; whilst, in other
instances, it has been found more expedient only to do it for two or
three hours immediately following the swarming. The hives should, under
the latter supposition, then be made to change places, and no bees
would be lost, as one or the other of the two positions would be sought
by them.
It may be well to refer the reader to what has been said at page 108,
relative to the occasional necessity that might exist for feeding a
newly-hived family of bees.
_Artificial Swarming._--Many apiculturists have practised the making
of what have been termed artificial swarms of bees;--in other words,
have compelled them to leave the parent hive sooner than they would
have done in their own natural way. What is more common than to see
a large bunch of bees hanging in idleness, often for weeks, on the
outside of a stock-hive, at the best part of the season. Is it not a
great gain if we can contrive in some way to set this unprofitable
community to work, in a new home? The advantages of early swarms have
been already pointed out, and in our uncertain climate the risk is
often great, either of losing them altogether, or of their coming too
late for the principal season of blossoming. Such considerations have
led to the compulsory system, which may, in one form or another, often
be successfully resorted to by the practised hand, but otherwise, it
is scarcely to be wondered at that failure sometimes ensues. Different
operators have succeeded in different ways of proceeding; and we will
briefly point out some of them. The raising of a young Queen from
worker larvæ has been already described under the head _Queen Bee_;
and for the purpose we have now immediately in view, we will suppose
the use of a bar-hive, as the one best adapted; the time of year being
that when it is ascertained to contain eggs and young larvæ, both of
workers and drones. A comb must be abstracted from a full box, and put
into an empty one, care being taken that it is not allowed to chill
during removal. In describing the subsequent process, we may adopt
the words of Dr. Bevan. "Towards noon of a fine day, or almost at any
time, if the bees cluster out much (for there ought to be plenty of
them), let a stock-hive be removed to a distance, and a spare hive
or box be put in its place, to one bar of which is attached a comb
containing worker-eggs, or very young larvæ of the same sex (better
still if the hive contain also one or two other worker combs); the
outliers, or the bees that are abroad, or both, will then enter the new
habitation, cluster round the brood, construct one or more royal cells,
and raise a young sovereign: and thus, if the season be favorable, form
a flourishing stock; whilst the old removed family, with beneficially
reduced numbers, will soon be reconciled to their new situation." But
we may often proceed a step further, and at once ensure the presence
in the new hive of an embryo sovereign, by inspecting a stock about
the time of closing up the royal cells, and deprive it of a comb,
containing one or more of these, as alluded to under the section
_Prevention of After-swarms_. In this way the double advantage will be
gained of ensuring greater certainty, and saving valuable time; for,
from the commencement of the process of raising a Queen from the worm,
to the period at which young bees may be looked for--her progeny--can
scarcely be less than seven weeks.
Artificial swarm-making is sometimes successfully accomplished by means
of driving the bees; to the general principles of which process we
have directed attention at page 152. A diversity in the objects to be
obtained, of course, leads to a little alteration in the details of
the proceedings; and we have now in view, not, as before, the creation
of a young Queen in the new hive, but forcing the old one into the
latter. Dr. Dunbar thus narrates his own method of procedure, and
which will usually be found to answer. "We carried," says he, "the
full hive into a dark place, turned it up, fixed it in the frame of a
chair from which the bottom had been removed, placed an empty hive over
it, mouth to mouth, and partially drove it. As soon as we perceived
that about half of the bees had ascended into the empty hive (knowing
that in these cases the Queen is generally amongst the foremost), we
immediately replaced the old hive on its former station, and removed
the new one, now containing the Queen, to a little distance. As the
former had plenty of eggs and brood, they were at no loss to procure
another Queen; whilst the other, having a Queen, proceeded to work
in all respects as a natural swarm." To avoid annoyance, and loss of
the foraging bees, as they continue to return homewards, during the
process of the preceding operation, it is well to set an empty hive
(or it may have a few combs) on the site just before occupied by the
parent stock. The bees will be in no very placid mood, and this piece
of deception has a tendency to divert their attention temporarily, till
the re-establishment of their old house restores them to their proper
home.
Some operators so far depart from the mode of proceeding we have
described as to prefer placing the newly driven swarm, possessing the
Queen, on the old site. In such case the original stock-hive is removed
to a little distance, and the entrance door stopped up, but raising the
bottom edge sufficiently to admit a sufficiency of air only, with but
little of light or sun. The bees thus confined are left undisturbed
during two days, and will probably have spent their time in founding
a prospective new monarchy. They may then be safely again trusted
abroad, for in their anxiety about the requirements of the provisional
government, they will no more trouble their old companions. Another
variation of plan, recommended by some, is, instead of shutting up
either portion of the bees, immediately to convey those driven into the
new hive, to a distance of not less than a mile, leaving the original
position for the old one.[AC]
[AC] I may here not inappropriately call attention to a subject touched
upon by Mr. Golding. His remarks are borne out by my own observation;
and I believe it would be for mutual benefit were bee-keepers, resident
a few miles apart, occasionally to exchange swarms in the season. I
make no apology for introducing a passage from the 'Shilling Bee-Book.'
"Though I can give no satisfactory reasons for the fact, yet it
certainly is one, that bees brought from a distance very generally
thrive better than families long domiciled on the spot. I am borne out
in this opinion by the concurrent testimony of my apiarian friends.
Whether they ply more vigorously on finding themselves in a strange
situation, or what can be the reason, I leave others to guess at." An
American author observes on this subject, "I am strongly persuaded that
the decay of many stocks may be attributed to the fact that the bees
have become enfeebled by _close breeding_. The cultivator should guard
against this evil by occasionally changing his stocks."
[Illustration]