ARTIFICIAL SWARMINa 199 



on the end, it would be impossible for me to use the sweet- 

 ened water, so as to make it run down between all the 

 ranges of comb, and I should be forced, as he does, to em- 

 ploy smoke, in all my operations. Huber thus speaks of 

 the pacific effect produced upon the bees by the use of his 

 leaf hive. " On opening the hive, no stings are to be 

 dreaded, for one of the most singular and valuable proper- 

 ties attending -my construction, is its rendering the bees trac- 

 table. I ascribe their tranquility to the manner in which 

 they are affected by the sudden admission of light, they 

 appear rather lo testify fear than anger. Many retire, and 

 entering the cells, seem to conceal themselves." I will ad- 

 mit that Huber has here fallen into an error which he would 

 not have made, had he used his own eyes. The bees do 

 indeed enter the cells when the frames are exposed, but not 

 " to conceal themselves ;" ihey imagine that their sweets, 

 thus unceremoniously exposed to the light of day, are to be 

 taken from them, and they fill themselves to their utmost 

 capacity, in order to save all that they can. I always ex- 

 pect them to appropriate the contents of the open cells, as 

 soon as I remove their frames from the hive. It is not 

 merely the sudden admission of light, but its introduction 

 from an unexpected quarter, that seems for the time to dis- 

 arm the hostility of the bees. They appear for a few mo- 

 ments, almost as much confounded as we should be, if 

 without any warning the roof and ceiling of a house 

 should suddenly fly off into the air. Before they recover 

 from their amazement, the sweet libation is poured out upon 

 them, and surprize is quickly converted into pleasure rather 

 than anger. I believe that in the working season, almost 

 all the bees near the top are gorged with honey, and that 

 this is the reason why opening the hive from above is so 

 easily effected. The bees below that are disposed to resent 



