58 A MANUAL OF BEE-KEEPING. 



left out — the one becomes a nuisance in after manipula- 

 tion, as well as causing crooked combs, and the herbs 

 may not suit the organs of taste or smell of the Bees ; 

 that which we think is nice they may consider nasty. 

 The floor board, which, of course, must be perfectly clean, 

 is then placed handy on the ground, with a stout stick 

 laid across a few inches from the alighting board ; and 

 duly equipped with veil and gloves, we are ready for 

 operations. In all probability the swarm hangs on a 

 bough or bush; in this case, all we have to do is to hold 

 the hive fairly beneath and give the bough a vigorous 

 shake, when the cluster will fall into the hive, and before 

 the Bees can recover from their astonishment set it 

 down on the floor board across the stick, which will 

 tilt up the hive and prevent crushing; although, in 

 inverting the hive on to the floor board, the Bees will 

 fall on it, they will quickly run up again and cluster as 

 before; and, provided the Queen be with them, every 

 Bee outside will in a short time enter. If, on the con- 

 trary, the Queen be not shaken into the hive, it will 

 quickly be deserted, and very likely the cluster will 

 reform on the old spot, when the process must be re- 

 peated with, let us hope, a better result. It sometimes 

 happens that when the Bees are apparently hived satis- 

 factorily, they are not satisfied, but, issuing again, return 

 to their old habitation or seek another home, when the 

 same care in marking down and following must be pur- 

 sued. Bees are not always so complaisant as to select 

 a bush or bough to hang upon. The face of a brick wall 

 is an awkward spot, and I have known them swarm upon 

 that. The boll of a tree is a common place. In these 

 cases they must be swept into the hive with a brush or 

 goose's wing in the best manner possible under the 

 circumstances; or the inverted hive may be supported 



