U6 HONEY AND EXTRACTOR. 



and the result of their alarm is that they instantly 

 run to the honey-cells, and fill themselves with the 

 sweets. It is supposed that instinct teaches them 

 thus to prepare, if necessary, to leave their home, 

 carrying with them as much store as possible. But 

 having thus filled themselves with honey, they gene- 

 rally become in the best possible temper, and seem to 

 put away their stings ; just like a bad-tempered man, 

 who is always in better humour after a good dinner 

 than when hungry. 



Some bee-keepers, however, hardly use any smoke, 

 and some use a preparation of carbolic acid, a very 

 little of which applied with a feather to the tops of 

 the frames answers almost as well. A spray diffuser 

 with sweetened water is also very useful at times. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 



SUPER^HONEY AND THE EXTRACTOR. 



I MUST now describe a very important part of bee- 

 keeping, namely, how to obtain the honey, which the 

 bees are ready, if managed well, to store away for us, 

 either in large boxes or glasses, or, far better still, in 

 those beautiful little cases which are called sections. 

 But before I describe the process, let us think of the 

 state of things within the hive which leads the bees 

 thus to prepare arid fill them. 



As summer advances the. hive becomes more and 

 more populous. Young bees are hatching out daily, 

 and all the frames, not wanted for the brood-nest, are 



