Hitherto our remarks have had reference to first or "prime" swarms; these are the best, and when a swarm is purchased, such should be bargained for. But there are also second swarms, known amongst cottage bee-keepers as "casts," one of which is often found to issue from the hive nine or ten days after the first has departed; in very rare cases such has been known as early as the third or as late as the seventeenth day. It is not always that a second swarm issues, as so much depends on the strength of the stock, the weather, and other causes; but should the bees determine to throw out another, the first hatched queen in the stock hive is prevented by her subjects from destroying the other royal princesses, as she would do if left to her own will. She in consequence becomes highly indignant; and, when thwarted in her purpose, utters, in quick succession, shrill angry sounds, much resembling Peep, peep,[15] commonly called "piping," but which more courtly apiarians have styled the vox regalis. The princesses answer her in a somewhat different note—these being, it must be understood, by this time perfectly developed queens, but afraid to quit their cells, where accordingly the brood bees feed them.
[15] So all English writers. Bees in Germany evidently speak a different language, for there the reigning queen cries, Tüh, tüh, while her imprisoned rival answers, Quah, quah.
This royal wailing continues during the evening, and is sometimes so loud as to be distinctly audible many yards from the hive. When this is the case, a swarm may usually be expected either on the next day or at latest within three days, unless the weather causes a longer postponement. This sound, when persevered in, is a sure sign of the issuing of an after-swarm, but it is in such case almost the only sign, and it must be noted that even when the bees do not intend to swarm it may sometimes be heard a day or two after a second swarm has left. If not heard it may be concluded that swarming is at an end. The second swarm is not quite so chary of weather as the first; it was the old lady who exercised so much caution, disliking to leave home except in the best of summer weather.
In some instances, owing to favourable breeding sea sons and prolific queens, a third swarm issues from the hive (usually after intervals of two or three days), which is termed a "colt;" and in remarkable instances even a fourth (after another day's interval), which in rustic phrase is designated a "filly." Mr. Langstroth says that he once had a fifth, and all five in the course of a fortnight. A swarm from a swarm is called a "maiden" swarm, and, according to bee theory, will again have the old queen for its leader: if such does occur it will probably be at about a month after the hiving. The original colony, of one or more years' duration, is known as a "stock."
When swarming is over for the season any princesses remaining in cells are torn out and destroyed as before stated, or else left to the tender mercies of the reigning sovereign. But now and then one of them slips past her assailants, "and then," says Von Berlepsch, "there ensues a regular hunt, which I have several times observed through the hive window. The queen, well knowing the fate that is in store for her, rushes away, and the bees pursue; when seized by the feet or the wings she cries out pitiably, and one queen so moved my compassion that I liberated her, put her in a queen cage, supplied her with workers and comb on a following day, and, as she became successfully fertilised, brought her through the winter."
§ XII. INCREASE OF BEES.
In the section upon "The Queen" we have given ([page 10]) some particulars as to the rate of breeding with bees. The needful expansion for this rapid development is found in the above process of "swarming," by which they provide themselves with fresh space, and plant new colonies. But the object of the bee-master is to train and educate his bees, and in so doing he avoids much of the risk and trouble which is incurred by allowing the busy folk to follow their own devices. The various methods for this end adopted by apiarians all come under the term of the "depriving" system, and they form part of the great object of humane and economical bee-keeping, which is to save the bees alive instead of slaughtering them as under the old clumsy régime. A very natural question is often asked: How is it that, upon the depriving system, where our object is to prevent swarming, the increase of numbers is not so great as upon the old plan? It will be seen that the laying of eggs is performed by the queen only, and that there is but one queen to each hive; so that where swarming is prevented there remains only one hive or stock, as the superfluous princesses are not allowed to come to maturity. If all those princesses were to become monarchs, or mother bees, and to emigrate with a proportionate number of workers, increase would be going on more rapidly; but the old stock would be so impoverished thereby as possibly to yield no surplus honey, whilst the swarms might come off too late for them to collect sufficient store whereon to grow populous enough to withstand the winter.
With bees, as with men, "union is strength;" and it is often better to induce them to remain as one family, rather than to part numbers at a late period of the honey-gathering season, without a prospect of supporting themselves, and so perish from cold and hunger during the ordeal of the winter season. This is one of the great secrets of successful bee-keeping. Mr. Langstroth's recommendation is that none "but the most experienced apiarians" should attempt "at the furthest to do more than treble their stocks in one year." Even doubling them, he says, is often too rapid an increase for obtaining spare honey.
Our plan of giving additional storage-room will, generally speaking, prevent swarming. This stay-at-home policy, we contend, is an advantage; for instead of the loss of time consequent upon a swarm hanging out preparatory to flight, all the bees are engaged in collecting honey, and that at a time when the weather is most favourable and the food most abundant. Upon the old system the swarm leaves the hive simply because the dwelling has not been enlarged at the time when the bees are increasing. Upon the antiquated and inhuman plan where so great a destruction takes place by the brimstone match, breeding must, of course, be allowed to go on to its full extent to make up for such sacrifices. Our chief object under the new system is to obtain honey free from all extraneous matter. No one can depend upon gathering pure honey from combs where storing and breeding are performed in the same compartment. For fuller explanations on this point we refer to the various descriptions of our improved hives in a subsequent chapter of this work.
We often receive from Scotland magnificent boxes of honey; and though the fine quality is no doubt to be in part attributed to good pasturage, it is largely owing to keeping the stocks strong, and thus having hives well stored and well populated early in the season. A weakly hive will take some weeks, if not months, to grow populous; and as soon as the strength of the hive has recovered, the honey season will have advanced, if not ended, whilst the strong stocks have been able to take full advantage of the supplies, having an abundance of labourers to collect the honey and store it in supers for their master.