312 THE BEE keeper's MANUAL. 



When bees are engaged in robbing a hive, they will often 

 continue-their depredations to as late an hour as possible, 

 and not unfrequently some of them return home so late 

 with their ill-gotten spoils, that they cannot find the entrance 

 to their own hive. Like the wicked man who " deviseth 

 mischief on his bed, and setteth himself in a way that is not 

 good," they are all night long, meditating new violence, 

 and with the very first peep of light, they sally out to com- 

 plete their unlawful doings. 



Sometimes tjie Apiarian may be in doubt whether a colo- 

 ny is being robbed or not, and may mistake the busy numbers 

 that arrive and depart, for the honest laborers of the hive ; 

 but let him look into the matter a little more closely, and he 

 will soon ascertain the true state of the case : the bees that 

 enter, instead of being heavily laden, with bodies hanging 

 down, unwieldy in their flight, and slow in all their move- 

 ments, are almost as hungry looking as Pharaoh's lean kine, 

 while those that come out, show by their burly looks, that 

 like aldermen who have dined at the expense of the City, 

 they are filled to their utmost capacity. 



If the Apiarian wishes to guard his bees against the fatal 

 propensity to plunder each other, he must be exceedingly 

 careful not to have any combs filled whh honey unnecessa- 

 rily exposed. An ignorant or careless person attempting to 

 multiply colonies on my plan, will be almost sure to tempt 

 his bees to rob each other. If he leaves any of the combs 

 which he removes, so that strange bees find them, they will, 

 after once getting a taste of the honey, fly to any hive upon 

 which he begins to operate, and attempt to appwpriate a 

 part of its contents. (See p. 304.) I have already stated 

 that when they can find an abundance of food in the fields, 

 bees are seldom inclined to rob ; for this reason, with pro- 

 per precautions, it is not difiicult to perform all the opera- 

 tions which are necessary on my plan of management, at 



