THE HONEY-BEE. 229 



her, in ignorance that their own proper sovereign 

 has been perhaps already put hors de combat by the 

 subjects of the other ; and,, in such a case, the ruin 

 of the whole community will be the ultimate con- 

 sequence, because at this season there are no eggs 

 nor larvae, nor males, wherewith to repair the disaster. 

 It is safer, therefore, to search for, and remove the 

 queen of the swarm that has been dislodged, and is 

 to be " married," before the union takes place ; she 

 will with little difficulty be discovered and laid hold 

 of in a hive without comb. 



The hives denuded of the bees, being now carried 

 into the house, the process of extracting the honey 

 from the combs must commence immediately, while 

 it retains its natural warmth. It will then flow freely, 

 and if there is a fire in the apartment where the ope- 

 ration is carried on, the work will be greatly facili- 

 tated. As it is of much importance in preserving 

 the fine flavour of the honey, that it should be ex- 

 posed as little as possible to the external air, the 

 mode of manipulation pointed out by Bonner, and 

 repeated after him by other writers, cannot be com- 

 mended. The following is the kind of apparatus we 

 have made use of for a great many years, and find to 

 answer well. (PI. XIII. fig. 1.) It consists of a tin 

 vessel of an oval shape, (having a spigot at the bot- 

 tom,) 18 inches long, 7 broad, and 5 deep. Resting 

 upon this, is another vessel of the same shape, and 

 just so much smaller that its under edge slips within 

 the other to the extent of an inch, and is prevented 

 from sinking farther by a raised beading. The bottom 



