Vol. XIV. 



JUNE 15, 188(>. 



No. 12. 



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GETTING BEES OUT OF SECTIONS. 



ADVANTAGE 



OF HAVING ITALIANS 

 BLACKS OB HYBKIDS. 



INSTEAD OF 



fN page 393, Geo. A. Wright asks how to get 

 bees out of cases. Now, friend Wright, if 

 you'll promise to say nothing about it I will 

 say to you that I have not yet learned to do it 

 to my satisfaction. But as it is a seasonable 

 subject I will tell what 1 do know, as some of less 

 experience may be benefited thereby. 



There are usually two classes of bees in the sec- 

 tions when opened. There are young bees that are 

 timid, and an.xious to get out of the way; and, if I 

 am not mistaken, especially an.xious to get away 

 from the light. There are old bees that arc not tim- 

 id; and, unless frightened, prompt to make attack; 

 and, when frightened, eager to fill their hoiiey- 

 sacks. We must take into account these two class- 

 es of bees, and act accordingly. If we ((iiickly take 

 off a super, or case of honey, and remove it from 

 the hive without giving the youngest bees time to 

 crawl down into the hive, these latter, not knowing 

 the way back to their homes, are liable to be lost if 

 they leave the sections, and are, moreover, loth to 

 come out to the light, especially as they know of no 

 other place to go. I have seen some of them clus- 

 tered together 24 hours or more, apparently condol- 

 ing with one another as to their loss of home ane) 

 friends. It is best then to give these bees time to 

 crawl down into the hive or sujier below. I am not 

 sure whether these youngest bees wait to load up 

 with honey before leaving the sections; but the old 

 bees, on being alarmed, start at once for the honey- 

 cells, and no amount of smoke short of actual suf- 



focation will induce one of them to leave the honey- 

 cell into which it has plunged, until its load is com- 

 [ilete. So far as the old bees are concerned, I sup- 

 pose they could just as well fill up after the super 

 is removed; but wo want to give the young bees 

 time to get out. ]f you watch a bee filling itself 

 with honey you will find that it takes the best part 

 of two minutes. Perhaps it is best to allow five 

 minutes alter opening the super before removing 

 it. This will be a very slow process if each one is 

 taken separately, so I usually open four or five in 

 succession before removing any. This gives the 

 bees plenty of time to get out of the way, without 

 wasting my time waiting. Each supei-, on being 

 opened, receives five or ten good Avhitfs of smoke, 

 and I then pass on to the nc.\t, leaving the first en- 

 tirely open, if there is no danger from rt)bbers. If 

 robbers are likely to trouble, a rubber cloth, or 

 l)iece of cotton cloth is thrown over. 15y the time 

 the fourth or fifth is open, the first is ready to re- 

 move, after receiving another dose of smoke, or, 

 what is perhaps better, several vigorous puffs of 

 the breath. The super is then carried into a room 

 of the shop, which is darkened all but one window, 

 or hole in the wall, arranged, in the way so of ten 

 described, so that bees will go out but not come in. 

 If, however, lioiiey is coming in freely it is usually 

 safe to set the super beside the hive and let the 

 bees leave the super entirely before taking in. I 

 have sometimes let them stand so till my forenoon's 

 work was done, and then gathered all up. Close 

 watch must be kept to see that the bees do not be- 

 gin carrying off the honey. If wide frames with 

 closed top-bars are used, the frames must be sepa- 

 rated on first opening, taking out one frame if neO' 



