ROBBING. 77 



Never, when a stock is being robbed, change it 

 from one stand to another a few rods distant, to 

 prevent robbing ; for this is a very great injury to 

 tlie stock, as all the bees that have marked the loca- 

 tion (at the season when robbing will most likely 

 occur,) will return to the old stand, and be lost. 

 The best remedy, or rather preventative against 

 robbing, is to contract the entrances to the hive. 

 After bees have once commenced robbing, and have 

 been successful in capturing and plundering one 

 stock, they will, as soon as they have secured the 

 honey from that one, attack some other with great 

 impetuosity. Success in plundering renders them 

 very courageous ; but if you have contracted the 

 entrances as directed, they will be very likely to 

 meet their match, and learn a good lesson. A lit- 

 tle punishment is necessary to teach them their 

 proper place. 



I knew one of these old wise-heads — such a one as 

 spoken of in the chapter on "Swarming and Hiv- 

 ing" — to use his familiar logic : "What he didn't 

 know about bees wasn't worth knowing. He didn't 

 want any book larnin' to know how to keep bees ; 

 he had allers kept 'em, and his father before him." 

 Well, this Mr. Wiseman found, or thought he had 

 found, that his neighbor's bees were robbing his 

 stocks. "Zounds!" says he, "I'll fix 'em!" So 

 he goes early in the morning, before the bees are 

 flying, and confines his stock, which he thought 

 was being robbed, by nailing a piece of board 

 closely over each entrance to the hive, so no bees 

 could pass in or out. About sunrise, or a little later. 



