ORDER VI. VEIN-WINGED INSECTS. 279 



Although this method of operating is cruel, and, in the 

 opinion of many apiarians, unprofitable, still there are some 

 arguments in its favor. A well-experienced apiarian, at 

 present in possession of twenty hives each one year old, as- 

 sured us that he realized from every hive an average of six- 

 ty pounds of wax and honey, for which there is a great de- 

 mand in the market, the wholesale price of the wax being 

 one shilling, and of the honey two shillings per pound. He 

 suffocates the bees of all the hives that are one year old, and 

 takes out all the wax and honey, but does not disturb the 

 new hives obtained in the preceding months of May and 

 June, which are generally two swarms or hives from each old 

 one. He was well convinced that by this mode of obtain- 

 ing the wax and honey he experienced much less trouble, 

 and more profit, than those who employed other methods, 

 and besides the harvest thus obtained he was able to sell 

 about twenty young hives every year. 



M. La Grene'e, a French apiarian, and a strenuous advo- 

 cate for the suffocating system, says : " I have scrupulous- 

 ly perused all the writings on the subject : I have not only 

 studied their theory, but practiced their different methods ; 

 but neither books nor experiments have been able to con- 

 vince me that there is a more preferable method than that 

 which I use, which is by suffocation." "In regard to the 

 common or bell-shaped hives, every body knows that the 

 principal part of the honey being placed at the top, the 

 sticks, which are absolutely necessary to support the combs, 

 are an insurmountable obstacle to the extraction of the 

 comb in a neat and profitable manner, as those transverse 

 sticks can not be taken out without great injury to the 

 combs ; and what person does not perceive that this opera- 

 tion must place the bees in a terrible state of agitation, and 

 be the death of thousands, one half of which would perish 

 by the stings, which they would bestow with profusion on 

 their tormentors in spite of fumigation, and the remainder 



