FIFTY YEARS A]vlOXG THE BEES 63 



sors. It is just as easy to have a pair of these as a 

 knife constantly in the pocket. To make good work clip- 

 ])ing, a knife should be very sharp, and I find it is harder 

 to have a sJiarp knife constantly on hand than a sharp pair 

 of scissors. Neither is it so necessary that the scissors be 

 sharp. 



FIXDIXG QUEEN. ^ 



Before a queen is clipped she must be found. I have 

 seen some attempt at rules for finding a queen, but after 

 all is said, you must do more or less hunting for a queen 

 if you would find her. I generally begin looking on the 

 first frame of brood I come to — hardly worth while to 

 look on any frame before the brood is reached — and as 

 I raise the frame out of the hive I keep watch of the 

 side next me. Then when the frame is lifted out of the 

 hive, before looking at the opposite side, I glance at the 

 nearest side of the next frame in the hive ; for it requires 

 scarcely any time to do this, and if she happens to be in 

 sight it will be a saving of time to lift out immediately 

 the frame she is on. Xot seeing her on the frame in the 

 hive, I look over both sides of the frame in my hand, 

 and continue thus through all the frames. Although it 

 was not worth while to look for her on any comb before 

 the brood-nest was reached, it is worth while to look for 

 her on the comb or combs remaining after passing over 

 those that contain brood, for in trying to get away from 

 the light she will go onto the outside combs. 



This trying to get away from the light on the part of 

 the queen, by going from one comb to the other, makes 

 me go over the combs as rapidly as possible without look- 

 ing too closely, for if I do not see her with a slight look- 

 ing, the chances are that she is on another comb, and I 

 count it better to run the chance of going over the combs 

 again, rather than to go too slowly. For if one goes over 

 the combs slowly enough, it is a pretty safe thing to say 

 that the queen will be driven clear to the other side of 

 the hive. 



