FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 51 



At Fig. 16, in the middle of the cut, will be seen an 

 entrance-closer, above it being the lath to fasten the 

 closer in place. 



Before the hives are put on the wagon I make 

 sure there is no possible leak in any of them. This is 

 hardly necessary where everything is in good condition, 

 but some of my covers and bottom-boards are pretty old, 

 and I must plug up any hole that would possibly allow a 

 bee to escape. 



When the hives are placed on their stands in the out- 

 apiary, the entrance-closers are removed, a little smoke 

 being used if the bees appear belligerent. Then the en- 

 trances are closed with the entrance-blocks. 



I speak of taking bees to out-apiaries as if I were still 

 keeping up out-apiaries. As a matter of fact, I have had 

 no bees away from the home apiary since 1909. That 

 vear I kept bees in the Wilson apiary for the last time, 

 having given up the Hastings apiary some years before, 

 and the Belden apiary still earHer. But it is more con- 

 venient, sometimes, to speak of past things as if present, 

 so the reader will please pardon any discrepancy that 

 mav appear in this book at any time on that account. 



NUMBERING HIVES. 



Numbers for hives are made in this way : Pieces 

 of tin 4 X 2^ inches have a small hole punched in each 

 one, near the edge, about midway of one of the longer 

 sides. With ^ inch wire nails, nail them on the top of a 

 wooden hive-cover or other plane surface. Then give 

 them a couple of coats of white paint, and when dry, 

 put the numbers on them, from 1 upward, with black 

 paint. There is room to make figures large enough to be 

 seen distinctly at quite a distance. These tin tags are 

 fastened on the fronts of the hives with -)4 or i^^ch wire- 

 nails driven in not very deep, making it easy to change 

 them at any time from one hive to another. 



I have also used manilla tags with figures printed on 

 them, but the figures are not seen at so great a distance 



