STOCKING THE APIAKY. 281 



If the bees are not all at home when the hive is to be 

 removed, blow a little smoke into its entrance, to cause 

 those within to fill themselves with honey, and to prevent 

 them from leaving for the fields. Repeat this process 

 from time to time, and in about half an hour all will 

 have returned. If any are clustered on the outside, they 

 may be driven within by smoke. 



The common hives may be prepared for removal by 

 inverting them and tacking a coarse towel over them, or 

 strips of lath may be laid over wire-cloth, and brads driven 

 through them into the edges of the hive. 



Confine the hive, so that it cannot be jolted, to a bed 

 of straw in a wagon with springs, and be sure, before 

 starting, that it is impossible for a bee to get out. The 

 inverted position of the hive will give the bees what air 

 they need, and guard their combs from being loosened. 

 It will be next to impossible, in warm weather, to move a 

 hive which contains much new comb. 



New swarms may be brought home in any old box 

 which has ample ventilation. A tea-chest, with wire- 

 cloth on the top, sides, and bottom-board, will be found 

 very convenient. The bees may be shut up in this box as 

 soon as they are hived. New swarms require even more 

 air than old stocks, being full of honey, and closely clus- 

 tered together. They should be set in a cool place, and, 

 if the weather is very sultry, should not be removed until 

 night. Many swarms are suffocated by the neglect of these 

 precautions. The bees may be easily shaken out from 

 this temporary hive (p. 139). 



When movable-comb hives are sent away to receive a 

 swarm, two strips of wood, with small pieces nailed to them 

 to go between the frames and keep them apart, should be 

 laid over the frames. The cover, or honey-board, should 

 then be screwed fast, and, if the strips are of proper 



