MillerThousand AnswersBeekeepingQuestions.pdf - BioBees

236 DR. miller'sA. A swarm-box being lighter than a hive, instead of carryingthe hive to where a swarm is, the box may be taken there, andwhen the swarm is in the box it can be carried to the hive, laidupon its side with the open part of the box toward the entranceof the hive, so the Isees can run from the box into the hive. Ifthe\' are too slow aljout it they can be dumped on the ground infront of the hive l)y jarring the box on the ground.Q. What are the best noticeable signs just before swarming?A. The most reliable sign that bees meditate swarming is thefinding of a number of queen-cells in the hive,. You may, however,judge a little from outside appearances, if you find a colonyceasing work and loafing when other colonies keep on at work;and when bees return from the field laden with pollec and join theoutside cluster without going inside to unload.(J. Last spring I bought a colony of bees and was very anxiousto have them swarm. The first swarm issued July 13. July20 the mother colony swarmed- again. This swarm covered sixframes. On July 24 the third swarm issued from the parentcoleiny. A week later I opened the parent colony and found thatthe bees had done nothing in the super. The body of the hivewas full of honey, and I found three queen-cells. Two of theseI destroyed. The cap of the third seemed loose, and soon thequeen crawled out, at least I thought she was the queen, thoughshe looked like any other bee. Do you suppose I ha\'e left thecolony queenless?Swarm No. 1 has made lots of honey, while the other twoswarms and the parent colony ha\e made nothing. Had I betterunite these, and how, or would it be better to give them frames ofhoney from the other hive? Should I get new queens for the twolatter swarms and for the original colony? Should I go over thecombs every ten days and cut out queen-cells?A. There is nothing unusual in the program \'our bees havefollowed. The mother colony having sent out three swarms, hasnot bees enough left to do anything in the super, and all the beesaie crowded into the brood-chamber, .\either are the second andthird swarms strong enough to do much, the first swarm beingthe only one strong enough to do super work. When a colony preparesfor swarming, it starts quite a number of queen-cells, andyou found what were left after the last swarm issued. It is notlikely that your cutting nut those last cells made any differenceabout SH arming, for it is a rare thing for the fourth swarm toissue, ^'ou may or may not have made the colon}' queenless bycutting out the cells. You say tlie 1>ee that came out e'f the