35

THE HONEY-BEE IN NEW ZEALAND 33

of a full grown queen bee, still confined in her cell, where she
is kept by the worker bees a close prisoner; for if she had
her will, and was allowed to come forth before the moment
of swarming, either she or the reigning queen, would fall in
single combat. When this noise is heard in a strong stock
look out for some more swarms. A bee master who has
only been used to the English rate of increase, will be
perfectly surprised, and as it were overwhelmed, with the
multitude of swarms which will issue from his hives in one
season, after his apiary has been established a year or two.
So he does not get his hives ready in time, and he is often
in great straits in swarming time. I will give one amusing
instance: A carpenter who has been many years in New
Zealand, and is perhaps in consequence very procrastinating
in his habits, was surprised by his first swarm rising when
he did not expect it. He had no hive at all ready. For-
tunately he had heard that the queen may be captured
and that when she is so, the swarm will not go away: so
he poked about with his finger among the cluster until he
found the queen; caught her, and put her in a tumbler to
keep her safe. He then went to his house, thinking it
time to set about making a bee box. It was a very hot
day: so he left his door open. He had not been long at
work when he saw the whole swarm follow him into his
house where his bench stood, upon one end of which they
clustered, while he was hard at work with hammer, plane,
and saw, at the other. It seemed as though they had
come in to see what he was about, while he was so long in
bringing them a hive; and they found, as many customers
had done before, that his work was not begun, when it
ought to have been finished. However, he tried to make
up for lost time, and hoped they would not be in a hurry
to go. Just half an hour and he would be ready for
them. He never plied his hammer so fast before. He
had not even time to whistle a tune: so, whilst he worked
the bees sang. They waited quietly, expecting their future
home; were safely housed in it as soon as finished, and
were doing well when I last saw them, as I trust he may
be doing; - the first carpenter who ever built a house with
so many homeless tenants watching its completion.