The Manipulation of Bees 237 



rubbed and the usual advice of the beekeeper is to " forget 

 it." Bathing with liniment or any other irritation serves 

 only to spread the poison through the tissues. The intense 

 itching soon disappears. As a comfort to the novice, it 

 may be stated that repeated stings usually cause an im- 

 munity to the poison to develop, after which no after-swelling 

 occurs. In case of severe stinging, the injured parts may be 

 covered with an ice bag or with cloth wet with ice water. 



Removing frames. 



After the frames are exposed, the propolis which often 

 fastens them may be loosened by prying gently with a hive- 

 tool and the frames may be crowded somewhat closer to- 

 gether to permit the removal of one of them . It is immaterial 

 which frame is removed first, unless the special object for 

 opening the hive determines it. In cool weather the prop- 

 olis may be brittle and care should be taken not to jar the 

 hive as this is broken. 



During manipulation, a side frame is often removed and 

 leaned against the hive to allow more room for moving the 

 other frames. In leaning a frame against the hive, it should 

 be in a nearly upright position to prevent breakage and 

 leaking of honey. The frame on which the queen is located 

 should not be left outside the hive unless necessary, for she 

 may crawl away and be lost. The frame should be leaned 

 against the hive on the side away from the operator so that 

 he will not be annoyed by bees crawling up his legs. In all 

 the handling of the colony, bees should not be crushed, for 

 this excites the others, and if frames are crowded too closely 

 together the queen may be killed. 



Handling frames. 



In examining a comb, it should be held so that if any bees 

 fall they will drop into the hive, except when it is necessary 

 to carry away a frame for some purpose. Freshly gathered 

 nectar sometimes drops out if the comb is improperly handled. 

 If this falls into the hive the bees clean it up, whereas outside 



