BEES. ad 
operations. Undue crowding may also crush the queen. If bees 
crawl on the hands, they may be gently brushed off or thrown off. 
In examining a frame hold it over the hive if possible, so that any 
bees or queen which fall may drop into it. Freshly gathered honey 
also often drops from the frame, and if it falls in the hive the bees can 
quickly clean it 
up, whereas if it 
drops outside itis 
untidy and may 
causerobbing. If 
a frame is tem- 
porarily leaned 
against the hive, 
: Fig. 14.—Handling the frame: First position. 
it should be ° : 
placed in a nearly upright position to prevent breakage and leaking 
of honey. The frame on which the queen is located should not be 
placed on the ground, for fear she may crawl away and be lost. It is 
best to lean the frame on the side of the hive away from the oper- 
ator, so that bees will not crawl up his legs. 
In handling frames the 
comb should always be held 
in a vertical position, espe- 
cially if it contains much 
honey. When a frame is 
lifted from the hive by the 
top bar, the comb is ver- 
tical with one side toward 
the operator (fig. 14). To 
examine the reverse side, 
raise one end of the top bar 
until it is perpendicular 
(fig. 15), turn the frame on 
the top bar as an axis un- 
tilthe reverse side is in view, 
and then lower to a hori- 
zontal position with the top 
bar below (fig.16). In this 
way there is no extra strain 
on the comb and the bees 
are not irritated. This care is not so necessary with wired combs, 
but it is a good habit to form in handling frames. 
It is desirable to have combs composed entirely of worker cells in 
order to reduce the amount of drone brood. The use of full sheets of 
447 
Fia. 15.—Handling the frame: Second position. 
