THE COTTAGE AND FARM BEE KEEPER. 81 



Besides the danger arising from a possible failure of food, there are 

 other evils no less formidable to be apprehended, and various contin- 

 gencies to be met as they arise. Should any of the hives, for instance, 

 appear sluggish towards the middle or close of March, or even earlier ; 

 if the bees stay much at home, however apparently numerous ; and 

 little or no pollen is carried into the hive, (and two out of every three 

 bees ought to return from the fields well laden with this substance,) 

 mischief is certainly brewing within. This last, of all signs, is the 

 most fatal. It is now all over with the hive's prosperity, and the sooner 

 it is broken up the better. Either the queen is dead, or she has be- 

 come worn out with age. In either case, the bees, having reconciled 

 themselves to their fate, live riotously on their stores while life lasts, 

 or their store of honey remains. The best way to treat the hive under 

 these circumstances, is t» fumigate it with burnt puff ball, (Racodi- 

 wm cellare,)* and to unite the bees to the nearest neighboring hive. 

 As this is often a matter of trouble and difficulty, I would recommend 

 the following plan to be adopted in conducting the process : — When 

 the bees are all at home, blow into the hive, by the entrance of a suffi- 

 cient quantity of smoke, till all is still within it. A few raps upon the 

 hive will shake down a great many bees, which the smoke itself, per- 

 haps, has failed to disengage from between the combs. Now lift up the 

 hive, and sweep the fumigated bees from the stand into an empty hive 

 or other receptacle, together with as many bees as can be swept off 

 the combs of the hive itself before they come to life again. This done, 

 while one person sprinkles the fumigated bees with sugar water, let 

 another remove the old hive, and set it over a hole prepared before- 

 hand, and filled with a few sulphur matches ; afterwards, the combs 

 may be cut out at leisure, without any annoyance from the not seldom 

 speedy recovery of the half-fumigated bees. Before joining the fumi- 

 gated bees to another stock, the population of both the hives should be 

 sprinkled with a little sugared ale or eau suor£. To effect the junction, 

 proceed as follows : — After well sprinkling the fumigated bees, set them, 

 (in the common bell hive,) bottom upwards in a pail ; then take the 

 full hive, also sprinkled with the preparation, and set it over the 

 other ; tie a cloth round the points of union of the two hives, and let 



* Sea Mr. Tiylor'a book. 



