CHAPTER XIV. 



ROBBING. 



Bees are exceedingly prone to rob each other, and unless 

 suitable precautions are used to prevent it, the Apiarian will 

 often have cause to mourn over the ruin of sonne of his 

 most promising stocks. The moment a departure is made 

 from the old-fashioned mode of managing bees, the liability 

 to such misfortunes is increased, unless all operations are 

 performed by careful and well informed persons. 



Before describing the precautions which I successfully 

 employ, to guard my colonies from robbing each other, or 

 from being robbed by bees from a strange Apiary, I shall 

 first explain under what circumstanees they are ordinarily 

 disposed to plunder each other. Idleness is with bees, as 

 well as with men, a most fruitful mother of mischief. 

 Hence, it is almost always when they are doing nothing 

 in the fields, that they are tempted to increase their 

 stores by dishonest courses. Bees are, however, much 

 more excusable than the lazy rogues of the human family ; 

 for the lees are idle, not because they are indisposed to 

 work, but because they can find nothing to do. Unless 

 there is some gross mismanagement, on the part of their 

 owner, they seldom attempt to live upon stolen sweets, 

 when they have ample opportunity to reap the abundant 

 harvests of honest industry. In this chapter, I shall h& 

 obliged, however much against my will, to acknowledge; 

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