ON BEES AND HONEY. 1»67 



it be must confined to the lower room of the central part. If 

 the season is so favorable, that they fill this room completely, 

 •they may be allowed to go up into the tumblers or boxes, in 

 .the upper room, or into one of the side boxes. To command the 

 passage holes leading to the tumblers, strips of tin must be pro- 

 cured, say .two inches wide and twelve inches long, turned up 

 a little at one end, so as to give hold in drawing them out. 

 When shut over the holes sma-U tacks will hold them, and thetf 

 Qjiiist be shut when you are getting your siDann in, or the be€S 

 will go into the upper room aud cause trouble. The lower 

 room is the principal home. To command the slits, or passa- 

 ges into the side boxes, a sheet of tin, of proper size, is the 

 most convenient. When the second season opens, the bees 

 may be allowed full admission to both side-boxes and to all 

 the tumblers. Spare bits of honey-comb put into the latter, 

 will be very useful, as an inducement to the bees to commence 

 working in them. These tumblers, when full, may be taken 

 off at any time. Hold them mouth upwards, and the bees will 

 soon leave, and you may feast upon the fresh hon.ey at your 

 own table, or send it as a comfort to a sick or needy neighbor. 

 As to the side-boxes when full, the writer hasahvays preferred 

 to let them remain, till some cold morning in October, when 

 it will be found that the bees will be all clustered into the 

 central hive for warmth, and you may quietly unscrew the 

 side one, and take it away. No bee will be there. How vast- 

 ly preferable is this mauageraent to murderous assault by fire 

 and fagots, aud sulphureous fumes of choking brimstone ! 



Your hives should be all made up and most thoroughly paint- 

 ed, and the paint well dried, some weeks before needing them 

 for swarms. It will be well to keep a swarming hive or two, 

 wherewith to stock your ^^ non-sioarmer-hives, such as are des- 

 cribed above. We apply no such laudatory phrases, as " best," 

 "most perfect," "surest," -'incomparably superior," to this 

 hive. We merely say it has always done good service. There 

 may be., there probably are, better ones. Show them to us 

 and weUl try 'em. As old Horace said : 

 " Si quid novisti rectiusistis, 

 jCandidus imperti ; si uon, bis utero mecum." 



That is " If aught you know that better is than this, 



Frankly avow it ; but if not, use what we show to you.** 



