FRAMES. TO MANiril.ATK. 



114 



FTvAMES. TO MANIPI'LATK. 



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Kk;. it.— Method of iiisortiiij;- llio liive-tc ol under the t'ovrr ; blowino: stiii ko in the fiMj) thns miide. 



now TO OPKN A niVK. 



Having considered the ne('es^^al•y tools and 

 a|ii»iianci'S for working with hees as well as 

 the manner of sitting or standing over the 

 hives we will now turn our attention direct- 

 ly to the method of handling the frames 

 themselves. Approach the hive that is to be 

 opened and blow a little smoke into the en- 

 trance. This latter procedure is not always 

 necessary, but it will be found to be a very 

 wise i)recaution on the part of a beginner. 

 Alter lie learns the individual temperament 

 of his different colonies, and also discovers 

 that on certain days and certain times of 

 days, the bees can be handled much better 

 than others, he will of course use his judg- 

 ment in the matter. If hv has reason to be- 

 lieve that a colony would be irritable he 

 sliould send two or three whiffs of smoke in- 

 to the entrance. He will now push the 

 screwdriver, or special hive -tool already 

 shown, under the cover. He should do this 

 very gently, working the thin edge o\' the 

 blade between the two hive parts until the 

 cover is raised abnit the thickness of the 

 blade, but not wide enougli to allow any 

 bees to escape. Through the gap tlius made 



lie will blow three or four whiffs of smoke. 

 He then shoves the tool a little further, in- 

 creasing the gap, following it up with some 

 more smoke. He now lifts or lowers the 

 hand holding the tool so that the cover is 

 raised an inch above the hive. The smoker 

 is next set dow n upon the ground, when the 

 cover is gently lifted off'. Sometimes much 

 more smoke will be required than others. If 

 the atmosj here is a little chilly, or if it be 

 immediately after a rain during a honey- 

 flow, much more s^nioke will be needed than 

 on a warm balmy day when bees are at work 

 in the fields. If they are at all nervous the 

 smoker should be brought into play again ; 

 indeed, at such times we would advise put 

 ting it between the knees, as shown in the 

 illustration at the toji of the next page. 



This nervousness may not immediately be 

 recognized by a novice, but for his sj)ecial 

 benefit we may say that when bees are sub- 

 dued and require no more smoke they will 

 be down between the fianus almost out of 

 sight; but if tliey are inclined to " resent the 

 intrusion,"' dozens and dozens of them will 

 have their heads sticking up, and as the api- 

 arist proceeds to lift out a frame, he may 



