24 THE HIVE AND HONEY-BEE. 



CHAPTER II. 



THE HONEY-BEE CAPABLE OF BEING TAMED. 



IF the bee had not such a formidable weapon both of 

 oftence and defence, multitudes who now fear it might 

 easily be induced to enter upon its cultivation. As my 

 system of management takes the greatest possible liberties 

 with this irascible insect, I deem it important to shoAv in 

 the very outset how all necessary operations may be per- 

 formed without incurring any serious risk of exciting its 

 anger. 



Many persons have been unable to suppress their aston- 

 ishment, as they have seen me opening hive after hive, 

 removing the combs covered with bees, and shaking them 

 off in front of the hives ; forming new swarms, exhibiting 

 the queen, transferring the bees with all their stores to 

 another hive ; and in short, dealing with them as if they 

 were as harmless as flies. I have sometimes been asked, if 

 the hives I was opening had not been subjected to a long 

 course of training; when they contained swarms which 

 had been brought only the day before to my Apiary. 



1 shall, in this chapter, anticipate some principles in the 

 natural history of the bee, to convince my readers that any 

 one favorably situated may enjoy the pleasure and profit 

 of a pursuit which has been appropriately styled, " the 

 poetry of rural economy," without being made too famil- 

 iar with a sharp little weapon which can speedily convert 

 all the poetry into very sorry prose. 



It must be manifest to every reflecting mind, that the 

 Creator intended the bee, as truly as the horse or the cow, 

 for the comfort of man. In the early ages of the world, 



