. British bee journal & bee-keepers adviser. Bees. May 28, 1914] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 215 and musical hum, which the experienced bee-keeper can detect, even when many yards from the hives. Eventually they settle in a large cluster (Fig. 3). It is a mistake to imagine that the queen leads the swarm ; by numberless obser- vations at the hive entrance. I find that the queen comes out when about half the bees constituting the swarm have issued. The same thing applies to the clustering, or, as the old-fashioned bee- keeper called it, knitting ; it is the workers who pitch upon the spot wher
. British bee journal & bee-keepers adviser. Bees. May 28, 1914] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 215 and musical hum, which the experienced bee-keeper can detect, even when many yards from the hives. Eventually they settle in a large cluster (Fig. 3). It is a mistake to imagine that the queen leads the swarm ; by numberless obser- vations at the hive entrance. I find that the queen comes out when about half the bees constituting the swarm have issued. The same thing applies to the clustering, or, as the old-fashioned bee- keeper called it, knitting ; it is the workers who pitch upon the spot where this is to take place, and not the queen. This can easily be put to a practical test by watching the entrance of the hive from which a swarm is issuing, catching the queen when she comes out on the alighting board, and placing her in a match-box. which is put in the pocket for warmth; the workers will cluster in the usual way, until they discover the absence of the queen, when they return to the hive. The bees themselves often demonstrate this involun- tarily, when, for some will come out and cluster 4). In the majority of cases. Fig. 2. reason, the queen is unable to fly, they for a short time, and then return as {Fig. swarms do not go very far before clustering. Occasionally they show a disposi tion to abscond by taking a long flight ; if they show signs of restlessness and a disinclination to settle, mounting higher and higher i n the air, it will be necessary to adopt some plan to bring them down. The old-fashioned and superstitious method of tanging by beating on the frying-pan with the door key. (Fig. 5) is useless, yet it is astonish- ing how many people, even amongst the better class, believe in it, and will attribute the frequency with which swarms issue on a Sunday morning to the metallic music of the church bells. That Sundav is a favourite day for swarms to issue is a well-recognised fact, the probable reason being their love of quietness and non-interruption in t
Size: 1630px × 1532px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury, bookdecade1870, bookpublisherlondon, booksubjectbees
