ROBBING. 313 



the proper season, without any clanger of demoralizing the 

 bees. If however, they are attempted when honey cannot 

 be obtained, they should be performed with extreme caution, 

 and early in the morning, or late in the evening ; or if pos- 

 sible, on a day when the bees are not flying out from their 

 hives. I have sometimes seen the most powerful colonies 

 in an Apiary, either robbed and destroyed, or very greatly 

 reduced in numbers, by the gross carelessness or ignorance 

 of their owner. He neglects to examine his hives at the 

 proper season, and the bees begin to rob a weak or queen- 

 less stock : as soon as they are at the very height of their 

 nefarious operations, he attempts to interfere with their pro- 

 ceedings, either by shutting up the hive, or by moving it to 

 a new place. The air is now filled with greedy and disap- 

 pointed bees, and rather than fail in obtaining the expected 

 treasures, they assail with almost frantic desperation, some 

 of the neighboring stocks : in this way, the most powerful 

 colonies are sometimes utterly ruined, or if they escape, 

 thousands of bees are slain in defending their treasures, and 

 thousands more of the assailants meet with the same un- 

 timely end. 



If the Apiarian perceives that one of his colonies is being 

 robbed, he should at once contract the entrance, so that only 

 a single bee can get in at a lime; and if the robbers still 

 persist in entering, he must close it entirely. In a few min- 

 utes the outside of the hive will be black with the greedy 

 cormorants, and they will not abandon it, until they have 

 explored every crevice, and attempted to force themselves 

 through even the smallest openings. Before they assail a 

 neighboring colony, they should be sprinkled with cold wa- 

 ter, and then instead of feeling courage for new crimes, they 

 will be glad to escape, thoroughly drenched, to their proper 

 homes. Unless the bees that are shut up can, as in my 

 27 



