appear
almost frantic, whirling around in a circle, which continually enlarges,
like the circles made by a stone thrown into still water, until at last
the whole hive is in a state of the greatest ferment, and the bees rush
impetuously to the entrance, and pour forth in one steady stream. Not a
bee looks behind, but each one pushes straight ahead, as though flying
"for dear life," or urged on by some invisible power, in its headlong
career. The queen often does not come out, until a large number have
left, and she is frequently so heavy, from the large number of eggs in
her ovaries, that she falls to the ground, incapable of rising with the
colony into the air.

The bees are very soon aware of her absence, and a most interesting
scene may now be witnessed. A diligent search is immediately made for
their missing mother; the swarm scatters in all directions, and I have
frequently seen the leaves of the adjoining trees and bushes, almost as
thickly covered with the anxious explorers, as they are with drops of
rain after a copious shower. If she cannot be found, they return to the
old hive, though occasionally they attempt to enter some other hive, or
join themselves to another swarm if any is still unhived.

The ringing of bells, and beating of kettles and frying-pans, is one of
the good old ways more honored by the breach than the observance; it may
answer a very good purpose in amusing the children, but I believe that
as far as the bees are concerned, it is all time thrown away; and that
it is not a whit more efficacious than the custom practiced by some
savage tribes, who, when the sun is eclipsed, imagining that it has been
swallowed by an enormous dragon, resort to the most frightful noises, to
compel his snake-ship to disgorge their favorite luminary. If a swarm
has selected a new home previous to their departure, no amount of
_noise_ will ever compel them to alight, but as soon as all the bees
which compose the emigrating colony have left the hive, they fly in a
direct course, or "bee-line," to the chosen spot. I have noticed that
when bees are much neglected by those who pretend to take care of them,
such unceremonious leave-taking is quite common; on the contrary, when
proper attention is bestowed on them, it seldom occurs.

It can seldom if ever occur to those who manage their bees according to
my system; as I shall show in the Chapter on Artificial Swarming. If the
Apiarian perceives that his swarm instead of