270 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



the bottom it won't go out, and it pays 

 to have your smoker well to going before 

 you start. How do I get the hot coals? 

 I usually get a spoonful or two out of the 

 kitchen stove, if we have a fire, if not, I 

 start the smoker fire with rotten wood, 

 which 1 keep very dry. 



Let's proceed now to take off honey. 

 We will go to one of the standard hives, 

 tiered up several stories high. Many of 

 the hives are "Long Idea," holding thirty 

 L. frames on the ground floor, the very 

 best hive for extracted honey ever 

 made — whoa! let's pause a moment until 

 I catch my breath. Just at this moment 

 I am thinking that in the 24 years in 

 which I have been reading the bee 

 journals, how many times, how many 

 million times, I mean, have I seen the 

 phrase "best hive in the world" printed? 

 But, I am going to give it up; at the same 

 time, I have a deliciously brotherly feel- 

 ing for the man that likes the little con- 

 trivance which he has gotten up to make 

 his work more pleasurable However, 

 the ' Long Idea"' hive is not new, older 

 than the hills; and 1 am stuck on it. 



GETTING OUT THE G0MB5. 



Well, now, let"s get back into the main 

 channel of our thoughts. We will open a 

 three-story hive. Robbers? Yes. you 

 bet; and they will rob to beat the band, 

 if they get half a chance. The entrance 

 is east; stand at the back or southwest 

 corner; raise the cover quickly, and, at 

 the same time, pour a cloud of smoke on 

 top of frames, and, in the same breath, 

 cover the top of the hive with a robber- 

 cloth, preferably wet, but if water is not 

 handy, never mind. All this is done 

 While you are counting ten. Now, roll 

 over your robber-cloth, exposing two or 

 three outside combs. More smoke. Take 

 out the outside comb, and. when nearly 

 out of the hive, give it a good shake, and, 

 as it is clear of the hive, rake the robber- 

 cloth over the top of the frames with the 

 lower corner of frame. Take a broom (I 

 use the Coggshall) and give each side of 

 the comb a swipe, when it is quickly 

 placed in a hive-body, covered with 



another robber-cloth; drop your broom 

 when through, as it is- tied to your waist, 

 as is the hive-tool, and, with the smoker 

 again in hand and lots of smoke (the 

 robber-cloth holds smoke in the super) 

 repeat the process v/ith the next comb, 

 and so on. The bees are brushed in front 

 of the entrance, or inside the hive, as is 

 the handiest, but above all things, don't 

 smoke the entrance. It's seldom that I 

 ever smoke the entrance in any hive- 

 manipulation. 



Perhaps you will say that all this takes 

 a long time. No, you are mistaken. 

 With the above plan your super is 

 empty before you know it. 



Maybe you will say again, robbers will 

 dive under the robber-cloth, both over 

 the super and in the body holding the 

 cleared combs on the hive-cart. Before 

 I answer this let me repeat don't be 

 afraid of your bees and don't let them 

 scare you. Of course, the bees of the 

 hive under manipulation, are perfectly 

 subdued, or, at least, those in the super 

 are. It's those fellows in the air which 

 are descrijing whorls and circles that 

 will bother, if any do. Occasionally, one 

 or two will dive under the robber-cloth. 

 Maybe ten or dozen a will, at times, but 

 what of it? They won't hurt you. Don't 

 be afraid of them. If you have a good 

 veil on, about the only place you can get 

 stung IS on the back of the hand, but 

 what of that? It will prevent or cure 

 rheumatism, so they say, and a bee can 

 be so easily swiped off from the hand, 

 and the sting mashed out. 



A WORD ABOUT ROBBERS. 



Robbers are troublesome when they 

 are getting a little something They do 

 not waste much lime, in large numbers, 

 when they do not find anything. Sup- 

 pose, to illustrate, that they have over- 

 powered a weak colony. They will make 

 things mighty exciting for an hour or 

 two, in a large apiary, but let them rob 

 it out, and they will quiet down all right. 



I have for years piled my wet, ex- 

 tracted combs out under the apple trees 

 and have never seen a particle of harm 



