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seen at the Hive door, 1. By the Bees hovering in cold evenings and mornings. 2. By the moistness or sweating on the stool. 3. By their hasty running up and down. 4. By their first lying forth in foggy and sultry mornings and evenings, and going in again when the air is clear. 5. When they will swarm, sometimes they gather together without the door, not only upon the Hive, but the stool also, which is a sign of swarming; but when they lie and hang forth continually, it is a sign that they will not swarm.

For those stocks which, not swarming in Gemini, happen to lie forth, keep the Hive as cool as may be, by shadowing of it, and watering round about it, and by enlarging the door to give them air, and move the cluster gently with your brush and drive them in.

For such as will not swarm, your best way is to double the stall, by turning the skirt of the Hive upwards, and setting an empty prepar'd Hive upon it, into which they will ascend, and work and breed as well as in the old. Such a stall will be very good to be taken, or, being young, to be kept.

The signs of after swarms are more certain, the sign being always heard before they begin to swarm.

If the prime swarm happen to be broken, the second will both call and swarm the sooner, it may be the next day, and by that occasion haply a third and sometimes a fourth, but all within a fortnight after the prime swarm, except in some extraordinary years both for breed and honey. After a second swarm, I have heard a young Lady-Bee call, but the queen, not being willing to part with any more of her company, did not answer, and the next day she, with seven others, were brought forth dead; and sometimes when the queen hath given her consent to a third or fourth swarm, the Bees, finding their stock like to live, shew themselves loth to go out.

When the swarm is up, it is common to beat a pan, kettle, mortar, or brass candlestick, near the place where

'tis convenient for the swarm to pitch, and the Bees will follow the sound; and if they are got up into the air, the sound will bring them down, or else you may fling dust or sand at them, which will cause them to pitch.

Sometimes they will fly so fast that you cannot take them, and then they belong to the happy finder; yet the law of Christendom allows you to follow them into any place where you can see them. Sometimes they will lodge themselves in a hollow, or in an empty Hive, and therefore it is convenient to keep empty Hives in your garden. A poor woman having taken a swarm to keep for half, by New Year's tide had lost her half and her partner's; and being careless of the Hive when the Bees were dead, she let it stand abroad till she had forgotten it. The next summer, coming into her garden, she found some Bees passing to and from her Hive, which Bees were then busie in cleansing and dressing it. She, wisely fearing that the Bees came to carry away the wax that was left, bid her daughter take the Hive and carry it in. The wench, following her play, did happily forget her mother's commands, and by that means the Hive stood till an unexpected swarm came, which afterwards stocked her garden.

The manner of Hiving a swarm is as followeth : when the swarm is fully settled and at biggest, having prepared your Hive as before is ordered, take a mantle, or any convenient broad cloth, and lay it on the ground just under the swarm; then take two rests, which are pieces of wood somewhat longer than the bottom of your Hive is broad, and about an inch and a half thick, these lay at equal distances on your cloth, no farther asunder than that the bottom of the Hive may rest upon them both you must also have a brush made of a handful of rosemary, hysop, fennel, or other Bee-herbs. This being finished, let the Hiver first drink of the best beer, and wash his hands and face therewith; then let him go gently to work, taking good heed where he sets his foot, and how he handles. Having

TO PLACE A SWARM IN THE BEE GARDEN.

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laid his rests and mantle, let him hold the Hive in one arm, and shake the Bees into it, and immediately, with great gentleness, set the Hive on the rests. If any of the Bees remain behind or return to the place of the swarm, let him lay in the place some stinking arable, or other noisome herb, which will keep the Bees from returning : this to be done if they pitch on a bough.

If they light on the ground within two foot of it, shake 'em or brush 'em on the mantle, and set the Hive on the rests over them; if they light at any small distance higher, you may raise the mantle and rests with stools, and do as before; if upon a high tree, you must cut off the bough with a sharp instrument, and, covering it with a mantle, or putting it into a large canvass bag, bring them gently down to the Hive; if they light on the body of a tree, then you must brush them into a mantle or bag, and Hive them as before; if they light on the top of any thing, then must you support the Hive on the top of a prong over them, and drive them upwards into it; if they fall in the middle of a hedge, then must you work away the nether part of the hedge, till you can come under them with your Hive. It is very difficult to move them if they get into a hollow tree; the only way I know of, is to smoke them before they are well settled, by which means they will seek out for another resting-place, or return to their stock. If a swarm parts, you must, as before, take one part of the swarm into your Hive, and spreading your mantle over it carry it to the other part; then, giving the Hive a gentle shock to bring them to the bottom, shake the other part into your Hive, and set it gently on your rests.

After sun setting that day you have taken you swarm, remove it to its seat in the Bee-garden, carrying it thither in the mantle; discharge it from the rests at that time, and from the mantle the next morning. All swarms, if the weather be fair, will desire to be abroad on the morrow, and knowing their want, having a house unfurnished with

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A SAMPSON'S POST-WHAT IS IT?

out provisions, will bestir themselves in their labours; but they are much discouraged if they are kept in by the foul weather the first day: tho' they can live five or six days without honey, they grow weak and often dye.

The means to recover a drooping swarm is thus: the first sunshiny day turn up the Hive to the sun, that the heat may revive them, and sprinkle the sides of the Hives, and also the Bees with a little mead or honey-water; hold them in the heat of the sun till you see many of them fly abroad, and then set it down,

V. OF THE BEES' ENEMIES, AND HOW TO DESTROY THEM.

The good Bee, as other good people, hath many bad enemies, which she herself cannot overcome without the assistance of man, for whom she labours; and therefore the wise Bee-man will take care to destroy the enemies of his best friend, the Bee, whose enemies are

1. The mouse (whether he be of the field or house) is a dangerous enemy, for if he gets into the Hive he tears down the combs, makes havock of the honey, and so starves the Bees: some gnaw a hole thro' the top of the Hive; some keep their old homes, and come to the Hive only for food; and some make their abode between the hackle and the Hive.

To prevent which, take care that your Hives be well and close wrought; for if the straw be loose and soft, they will the easier make their way thro' the Hive; also take care that your Hive be close dawbed with cloom, that they may have entrance nowhere about the skirts, but at the door only; it is also good that ever and anon you take off the Hives, not only for this but other causes. A Sampson's post is very good to place near your hives.

2. The woodpecker and sparrow are both enemies to the Bees; the woodpecker, with his round long tongue, draweth out the honey; but he doth more mischief to

TITMOUSE.-SWALLOW.-HORNET.

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Wood-Bees than those of the garden; the sparrow doth devour the Bees from the time of the first breeding till the wheat be kerned.

3. The titmouse is another enemy, of which there are three sorts. The great titmouse, from his black head and breast, is called a cole-mouse, and is the worst enemy to the Bees; he always watches at the Hive for the coming and going out of the Bees; he will stand at the door, and there never leave knocking 'till one cometh to see who is there, and then suddenly catching her, away he flies with her; and when he hath eaten her, he comes again for more: eight or nine will scarce serve his turn at once. If the door be shut, that none can come out, he labours to remove the bar. If that be too heavy, he falls to undermining the door for a new way; and when these devices cannot get them out, some have the skill to break the dawbed walls of the Hives above, over-against the place where they lie, and there they are sure to have their purpose. This is the greatest enemy the good Bee hath; and, therefore, by the Bee-men of Hampshire, he is called a Bee-biter. The little russet titmouse in the winter feedeth only on dead Bees; but in the spring he will take part with the great ones. The little green titmouse can only be accused of eating some few dead Bees, and that only in some hungry time.

4. The swallow is another Bee-eater, who catcheth the Bees in her chops as she flies, and that not far from the Hives, when they come laden and weary home. The only way to destroy these birds is by traps and springs, baited with dead Bees, set round the Hives, or by shooting them with guns.

5. The hornet, being much too strong for the Bees, is also a great devourer of them. Her manner is to fly about the Hive, till she have spy'd her prey settled at the door, and then suddenly she taketh it in her feet, and flies away with it, as a kite with a chicken. In destroying the hornet you must be wary, for their stinging does oftentimes