Fig. 14.—Colony before swarming; supers in place. (Original.)
USING THE REMOVED BROOD TO BEST ADVANTAGE.
The disposition of the brood that is left when a swarm issues should be such that (1) no "after-swarms" (swarms resulting from the emergence of a plurality of virgin queens) are permitted to issue and (2) that the emerging workers may be used to the best advantage.
"After-swarming" may be prevented by (1) breaking up the parent colony before any of the young queens emerge, using the unhatched brood elsewhere, (2) by destroying all queen cells but one before any young queens emerge, or (3) by greatly reducing the population of the parent colony[5] just before the young queens emerge.
[5] The term "parent colony" applies to the one in the hive from which the swarm issues and is in common use, though the correctness of the term is questionable.
Fig. 15.—Brood placed in hive turned 90 degrees from old entrance. (Original.)
If swarming occurs at a time when the resulting young bees can take part in gathering and storing the crop of honey, the usual practice is to allow the brood to emerge in a separate hive and later to add these young bees to the colony from which it was taken. Under such circumstances this reenforcement of the swarm is especially desirable, since otherwise its forces are constantly diminishing during the 21 days (the time required for worker brood to develop) immediately following the removal of all its brood. The brood, however, may be used anywhere in the apiary and should be placed where the resulting bees will be most needed. The plans given below make use of at least a part of the emerging bees in reenforcing the swarm from which the brood was taken.
When hiving natural swarms on the old location as suggested above, the old brood chamber is provided with a bottom and cover and set aside, usually with its entrance turned away about 90° from its former position (figs. [14], [15]). This is to prevent any field bees returning to the parent colony. A day or so later it is turned about 45° toward its former position ([fig. 16]) and as soon as the bees have this location of the entrance well marked the hive is placed parallel to the hive on the old stand ([fig. 17]). So far as the bees returning from the field are concerned, these two colonies are now on the same stand.