THE BEEKEEPERS' REVIEW 369 



dark saw them still out all night long, waiting for the sealing of the 

 queen cells. 



At last the day arrived, and out would rush the bees pell-mell 

 as though the hive had burst like a bomb-shell, and far above the 

 joyous sound would be heard the tang-tang of warming pan and 

 door key, as the beeman beat lustily while the insects settled in a 

 huge cluster under the eaves of the cottage, or in the heart of a 

 gooseberry bush. 



And then there is the careful dressing of the hive, and the 

 health of the bees to drink that they may be safely hived. Some- 

 times a swarm would fly straight away over the meadows, but the 

 beeman never followed it lest its return might bring bad luck 



WHAT AN ENGLISH HIVE LOOKS LIKE 

 Photo by A. H. Bowen 



over the bee garden, "it would be agin' natur' to get 'em back when 

 they wanted a change o' air." Then peacefully enough the weeks 

 of sunshine go by until with the gathering of the sheaves from 

 the golden stubble, the beemaster prepares to garner the last harvest 

 of the year, that of the honey. As September would he would 

 "take up" from his unpaid laborers the fruits of their Vv^ork among 

 the blossoms. 



And in the chill of an autumn evening, the poor old bee skep 

 with its living contents would be lifted from its stool and placed 



