88 THE HUMBLE-BEE v 
time. To avoid waiting for bees to appear I find it 
a good plan to blow down the hole; this, provided 
the nest is not a great way off, or in a branch hole, 
will bring up a bee, often several, immediately, or 
at least it will cause buzzing, which assures one 
that the right hole is being followed. For this 
purpose a flexible pneumatic tube with a mouth- 
piece would, I should think, be very convenient and 
effective. Asa boy I did not mind putting my head 
down into the cavity to blow into the hole. 
It is a good plan to stuff rags into any branch 
holes one has temporarily abandoned, then one can 
easily find them again and follow them up if the hole 
that is being worked at proves abortive. In cases 
where the hole is lost and choked the only thing to 
do is to scrape out the cavity and leave the nest 
until another day, when it will generally be found 
that the bees have made a way for themselves in 
and out again. 
When workers begin rushing out in numbers in 
quick succession it is a sign that we are not far from 
the nest, especially if some of them are immature. 
One must be careful not to plunge the trowel into 
the comb, but generally one gets warning that the 
nest is being approached—the loud deep buzz of 
the agitated queen, often accompanied by the feeble 
murmur of several recently emerged workers, which 
are now likely to run out, and finally the appearance 
of the nest material. In order to unearth the nest 
without injuring it, it is advisable to undermine it. 
While this work is proceeding the queen may rush 
