TAKING HONEY. 169 



upon it. (If the full box were itself placed upon 

 the floor board, stranger bees might smell the 

 honey and become very troublesome intruders : 

 this is the reason why an empty box is inter- 

 posed betwixt the full one and the floor board.) 

 The full box and middle board, with the divider 

 underneath them, being raised upon the empty 

 box and the divider withdrawn, a portion of the 

 bees will immediately sally forth, to join the fa- 

 mily from which they have been separated. I 

 say a portion, for notwithstanding their attachment 

 to their queen, they will not all quit, without re- 

 luctance, so great a treasure as a box full of honey ; 

 if any of the combs contain brood also, this re- 

 luctance will be increased. When therefore the 

 bees issue slowly, the sliding shutter should be 

 closed, and re-opened in a quarter of an hour. 

 This short imprisonment will produce some im- 

 patience and restlessness, and consequent eager- 

 ness to be set at liberty ; and on re-opening the 

 shutter there will be a fresh sally : this method 

 must be pursued, at similar successive intervals, 

 till all or nearly all the bees have quitted the box ; 

 should a few still remain, the box, towards even- 

 ing, may be taken out of doors and the stragglers 

 brushed out upon a board or cloth, with a wing, 

 and placed upon a support near the entrance to 

 the stock ; those that are not injured by the wing 

 will soon find their way in : thus will the whole 

 i 



