280 NORTH AMERICAN INSECTS. 



by the honey, which would stifle them. I have always ex- 

 perienced very great trouble in extracting the honey-comb 

 from a hive the bees of which have been smothered, for the 

 sole reason that the cross-sticks could not be drawn out." 



" In regard to those hives composed of stories, I allow 

 that the deprivation of the honey is performed much more 

 easily than in others. But is the proprietor always careful 

 of the important circumstance of extracting only that par- 

 ticular quantity from the hives which will prevent the dan- 

 ger of famine? For, if the stories be small, and if, for fear 

 of injuring the bees, he extracts but a small portion of their 

 produce, wherein then does his advantage consist 1 On the 

 other hand, if the upper stories be large, they contain per- 

 haps the whole of the honey, and in taking that away the 

 bees are consequently deprived of their winter food, and must 

 inevitably perish. If, to avert this evil, the system of feed- 

 ing be resorted to, the proprietor will be under the necessity 

 of returning to the bees the honey which he took from them ; 

 and if the bees escape from a death by famine, they will in- 

 evitably perish by the pillage, which is frequently and almost 

 universally occasioned by these artificial supplies of food. 



It is evident that this method does not obviate the two 

 principal inconveniences, which are so conspicuous ; one of 

 which is the entire loss of the hives during the winter, if a 

 gi'eat quantity of provision be extracted from them ; and 

 the other is the paucity of supply to the public, and almost 

 no profit whatever to the proprietor, if only a little be taken. 



But let us calculate the produce of this method with that 

 which is produced by the system of suifocation. We will 

 suppose that a proprietor has ten hives: according to the 

 removing system, they will furnish each twelve pounds of 

 honey, which will amount in all to one hundred and twen- 

 ty pounds ; and the proprietor will possess twenty hives, ten 

 old, and ten new ones. The sixty pounds of honey may be 

 valued at £9, and the twenty hives at £20. According to 



