ARTIFICIAL SWARMING.
Advantages--Driving: Close and Open--Transfer to Bar-Frame
Hive--Conditions of Successful Driving--Various Methods of
Artificial Swarming with Bar-Frame Hives.
There are some mortifying incidents connected with natural swarming,
which the skilled apiarian will endeavour to avoid, by taking the
matter of the making of colonies into his own hands. We have spoken
already of the annoyance and trouble often caused by the flying away
of a swarm. This accident at the beginning of the honey-season means,
at least, a loss of what would be worth from a sovereign to thirty
shillings, either in stock or honey. Another, but minor, disappointment
comes from seeing the bees hanging outside a hive in handfuls, idle and
useless, waiting for the queen to come forth with a swarm. In this way
the work of some thousands of bees for several days is lost, and that
often at a time when honey is most plentiful in the fields. Now, both
these difficulties may be met with complete success by what is called
artificial swarming--an operation which is conducted in different ways,
according to the kind of hive to be operated upon.
We will speak of the process called _driving_. This is the method
adopted with the ordinary skep, and is practised as _close_ or _open_
driving. In the first case, the plan pursued is as follows: Into
the entrance-hole of the hive to be operated upon a few good puffs
of tobacco, or other smoke, are blown. This frightens the bees, and
they immediately rush to the cells, and gorge themselves with honey.
After giving them a couple of minutes for this purpose, they become
much more quiet and tractable. If this precaution be not taken, many
of the workers will fly in anger at the operator, and, though he may
be protected by veil and gloves, will greatly disturb the comfort
of his manipulations. The hive is then lifted from its floor-board,
and inverted, _i.e._ turned upside down, on a tub, pail, or pan,
partly filled with water, to keep it firm. Upon it is placed an empty
hive of the same diameter, and round the junction of their rims is
tied carefully a round-towel, or a bandage of some kind, so as to
prevent the escape of any of the bees. At the same time, or as soon
as possible, another empty hive, with a little syrup sprinkled on the
interior, is put on the stand from which the stock has been brought,
so that the bees, who were abroad when their home was removed, may be
amused, or, at least, diverted from going to other hives, where they
would be attacked and slain as robbers. Returning then to the hive from
which the swarm is to be driven, it must be beaten smartly, but not
sharply enough to shake down the combs. A tolerably stout stick in each
hand, or the hands themselves, may be used for the purpose. It is best
to begin gently, and to increase the force of the blows, letting the
drumming be continuous, but not violent. The bees, already terrified by
the smoke blown amongst them, will in the course of a few minutes begin
to run into the upper hive, and a large enough proportion, together
with the queen, will have gone up within ten minutes or a quarter of an
hour. Their passage up may be ascertained by the buzzing sound of the
multitude of vibrating wings; and when this has subsided the cloth may
be taken away, and a large cluster of the driven insects will be found
in the top hive. This should then be placed on the stand from which the
stock was taken, so as to be reinforced by many of the population who
were abroad for supplies. If it is intended to transfer the new colony
to a bar-frame hive, they can be introduced either by being shaken on
to the tops of the frames, to run down between, or thrown on a sheet in
front of the bar-frame hive, which should be slightly propped up, as
already described in speaking of natural swarms thus put into wooden
hives. The old stock, containing much brood and a fair residue of bees,
may be placed at a short distance from its former stand. It will be
sure to have an attraction for many of the adults of its population so
unceremoniously ejected, and some of the most recently hatched will
have refused to quit it. These combined forces will suffice to tend
the brood; and in a few weeks, with a young queen, the tenants will be
almost as numerous as before the driving took place.
_Open_ driving is performed in a similar way, except that the hive,
into which the bees are to be made to ascend, is placed over the other
at an angle, and only resting upon it for three or four inches. It
is supported in this sloping position by skewers or iron wires thrust
through both hives where they touch, and with others to prop them
well open in front. This arrangement frees the hands of the operator:
enables him, in many cases, to watch the going up of the queen an
all-important matter for the success of the artificial swarm: and
gives him the opportunity of judging when a sufficient number of the
stock have been frightened out of their abode to form a satisfactory
colony. The terrified insects make no attempt to escape by the wide
opening free to them, but rush in a continuous stream up the connected
portions of the hives, and form a cluster in the roof of the upper
one. They have filled themselves with honey, and, between repletion
and fright, are as inoffensive as so many flies. We have ourselves had
the opportunity of displaying to two members of the Royal Family the
harmlessness of driven bees, by taking some hundreds with an ungloved
hand, and holding them to the view of Prince Christian and Princess
Beatrice. To the Prince's inquiry, "Why do they not sting?" the reply
was, that they became like Englishmen after a hearty meal--very
good-tempered, an answer which not only amused His Royal Highness, but
was correct as an explanation.
The best time for the operation of driving is near the middle of the
day, when many of the workers are abroad in the fields. Should the
weather be cold, it is advisable to warm the skep into which the
driving is to take place. A further detail of great use in quieting and
reconciling the ejected colony is, to sprinkle between the combs, a
quarter of an hour before driving, some weak syrup, made of one pound
of sugar to one pint of water. A wine-glassful will be enough to use
for one hive, as too large a quantity might seriously wet the bees, and
perhaps glue their wings and limbs harmfully. After settling down in
their new home, they will be occupied with clearing themselves and each
other of the syrup, which will serve also the purpose of still further
replenishing their honey-bags.
It is difficult to get the bees to leave by drumming a hive only partly
filled with comb. They will cluster about the unoccupied portions,
and resolutely refuse to go. In this case they may be ejected on to
a sheet, spread to receive them, by three or four sharp jerks in a
downward direction.
It is advisable not to drive a colony after very hot weather, and when
there is a great in-take of honey: otherwise some of the liquid will
begin to flow out of the cells when the-skep is inverted, and will
cause much trouble and waste, and possibly the destruction of many
bees by drowning them in their trickling stores. It will be better to
wait till the next morning, when evaporation and the coolness of the
night will have thickened the liquid sufficiently for it to remain in
the cells during the manipulation. The combs, also, will have become
firmer, and less liable to fall, with the diminished temperature.
The operation of driving from skeps is abundantly practised by
apiarians, in the autumn, among the hives of those cottagers who would
otherwise follow the old and most barbarous plan of killing their bees
to take the honey. Several stocks of bees thus drummed out of house
and home may be united to form a strong colony. If supplied with frames
of comb, or "foundation," and fed with syrup (made with 2-1/2 lbs. of
sugar to each pint of water, with a dessert-spoonful of vinegar boiled
up with it, to prevent crystallisation), they may be brought safely
through the winter, and become, by the spring-time, well worth the
expense and trouble they have cost.
[Illustration: Fig. 63.--Swarming Board.]
With bar-frame hives the making of artificial swarms becomes an easy
matter, and more than one plan may be adopted. In the first place,
suppose it is desired to transfer into a skep a swarm from a wooden
hive, for sending to a distance. The preliminary operations are as
follows: Towards evening, remove the stock a few yards from its stand,
and have ready the skep on a wide board, and propped up two or three
inches in front. Next puff smoke into the midst of the bees, to quiet
them, and to induce them to fill their honey-bags. Then lift the
frames one after another, and search for the queen till found. Take her
gently between the first finger and thumb, seizing her by the wings,
place her at the entrance of the skep, and see that she runs in. Shake
on to the board, close to the skep, the bees from the frame on which
the queen is found, and, after replacing it in its own hive, take out
and shake off bees from other frames in succession, till a sufficient
amount to make a swarm has been let run into the skep. They, with their
sovereign, will ascend to the crown of their abode, and then may be
secured by tying a cloth over the open part of the straw hive, and
despatched to their destination. Of course the frames must be replaced
in the stock hive as they are cleared. The remaining bees will soon
make a new queen for themselves, and will care for the developing
brood. Judgment must be exercised, so as not to weaken too greatly the
population of the parent-hive.
Another method, still simpler, is to begin operations in the morning
of a bright day, and to shake off the queen and bees from two frames
only, and put the colony on to the old stand, removing the stock to a
distance of a few yards. The bees abroad for supplies will, on their
return, remain with their queen, and make up a sufficiently strong
community; while the young, and those who prefer the old stock, will be
sufficient to meet its requirements.
A third plan is to take the frame on which the queen is, with bees and
brood, and place it, with two or three other frames from the same stock
in another hive, which should be placed on the old stand. Foragers
returning from the fields will, as in the preceding case, reinforce
the new colony, while the stock, moved to a little distance, will soon
repair the loss of their queen, and hatch out young bees in place of
those transferred to another home.
A fourth method is to take two combs from each of several strong
stocks, brushing off all bees with a feather or goose-wing. Then
placing the hive thus filled with comb and brood, on the stand of a
strong stock, the returning bees will take to the home thus presented
to them, and will speedily raise a queen for themselves from one of the
many eggs contained in the brood cells. The displaced hive must, as
in previous instances, be removed a few yards from its old position.
The reason for filling the abode of the new community with frames of
worker-brood, is to prevent the bees from building drone-comb, and
raising males only, as they are apt to do when they have to manufacture
a queen, at least till she is not only hatched but begins to lay eggs.
There are three or four important precautions which are to be
remembered when making artificial swarms. Firstly--swarming should not
be artificially attempted till drones are tolerably numerous, unless a
fertile queen is to be given to the new colony Secondly--honey should
be abundant when the swarm is made, unless a good deal is stored in
the combs removed. If syrup, however, be supplied, all danger from
scanty sources outside will be removed. Thirdly--swarms should be taken
only from the strongest stocks, otherwise both old and new communities
will be, perhaps irretrievably, ruined. Fourthly--it is an immense
advantage to introduce a queen into the hive that has been deprived
of its mother-bee; and with suitable precautions, especially that of
caging the supplied sovereign for thirty-six hours in a receptacle
made for the purpose, there is usually little difficulty in getting
the substitute amicably received by the mourning workers. This plan
not only prevents the loss of two or three weeks of very valuable time
in the rearing and fertilising of a queen, but obviates the danger of
the young queen, when raised, perishing on her wedding-flight, through
being snapped up by a bird, or mistaking the entrance of her hive on
her return.
Various modifications of the above plans may be found in Langstroth,
but enough has been said to indicate the ordinary and simplest modes of
procedure.