BEES. 



their bind-legs to it, and pulled with all their streng-th ; hut; 

 iaihng in their endeavours, they, with several others which 

 subsequently joined them, ran about the entrance, and 

 appeared to be very uneasy. As I could not bear to sea 

 them uncomfortable, I withdrew the piece of wood, upon 

 which two of them immediately occupied the position where 

 it had been placed, and continued fanning for nearly ten 

 minutes as if it had been the warmest day in June." He 

 then left them to ventilate themselves ever after, with the 

 most perfect success. And here let us observe, that Mr. 

 Grant has shown that zinc should never be used in hives ; a 

 white powder forms upon it, which is presumed to bo 

 poisonous, and which the bees evidently made g-reat exertions 

 to be rid of. 



HONEY TAKING AND SWARMING. 



Tog-ether with the spring come the chief duties of the 

 apiarian. The object of his labours will now be two-fold. 

 Firstly, to secure as much honey as he can without detri- 

 ment to the bees, and secondly, to increase the number of his 

 swarms, in order to give him a larger stock against next year's 

 labours. But if he takes honey he will check the increase 

 of the swarms, and if he multiplies his swarms, it will be at 

 the expense of much present honey, for the sake of more 

 hereafter. He will therefore balance the question of profit 

 in his mind, and encourage either one or the other, for from 

 the same hive he cannot expect much of both. Bees, likd 

 men, desire to increase and multiply, and in consequence all 

 their preparations and fiUing of their numerous storehouses 

 is with reference solely to that view, after they have col- 

 lected sufficient nourishment to supply their own necessities, 

 and not with any disinterested view of affording their master 

 a rich harvest. This object chey can generally attain, and 

 can furnish amply sufficient stores of food to supply the 

 coming generation, no matter how numerous the fecundity 

 of the queen-mother may cause that generation to be. But 

 it is clearly impossible thit they can rear the greatest pos- 

 sible amount of brood, and at the same time afford to man 

 the greatest possible weight of honey, which honey was only 

 intended for that brood, ana cannot support both the brood 



