66 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



for the queen. Lifting out the comb nearest me, I look 

 first on the side of its mate in the hive, and if I do not see 

 the queen there, I quickly look on the opposite side of 

 the comb in iny hand. I am pretty sure to find her in 

 the middle of one of the pairs. 



If the pairs are sufficiently separated from each other 

 (I don't mean the two combs of each pair separated, for 

 the two combs in each pair should be as close together 

 as possible, but that one pair should be far enough from 

 another pair so that the bees should not communicate), 

 the bees will, after standing long enough, show signs 

 of uneasiness by running over the combs, all but the one 

 pair that has the queen on, and the quietness of the bees 

 on that one pair is sufficient warrant for seeking the 

 queen there. 



•If the bees get to running, it is hardly worth while 

 to continue the search for the queen until they have 

 quieted down. Sometimes she will be on the side or the 

 bottom of the hive, and will be found only by lifting 

 ort all the combs. 



BEE-STRAINER. 



A strainer may be used for straining the bees through 

 and leaving the queen. A queen-excluder is fastened 

 to the bottom of an empty hive-body, and that makes 

 the strainer. The strainer is set over a hive-body in 

 which there is a frame of brood but no bees — at least it 

 must be certain that the queen cannot possibly be in the 

 hive-body under the strainer. Then all the bees are 

 shaken and brushed from the combs into the strainer. 

 The workers will go down through the excluder, being 

 hurried by a little smoke if necessary, while the queen will 

 be left in the strainer. 



On the whole the queen is generally found so easily 

 by the ordinary looking over the combs that it is seldom 

 that any other plan is resorted to. 



It happens once in a great while that the queen is on 

 the cover when it is lifted ofif the hive, so it i^ well to 



