i66 THE APIARY. 



whole of them must be loosened, because it often happens 

 that all the combs have to be examined, sometimes twice 

 over, before she can be discovered. Bees are very apt 

 to build their combs in a slightly waving form, and in 

 extracting one it will be needful to make room both for 

 the comb and bees upon it to pass without scraping 

 the next comb, and there will be a difficulty if the 

 apiarian attempts to draw out one comb whilst the other 

 frames are located in their appropriate notches. Let the 

 operator gently proceed to lift, say, the third frame 

 (allowing it to lodge on the little block that divides the 

 notches) slightly nearer to the fourth frame, and the 

 second nearer the third, so as to- admit of sufficient space 

 to lift out the end one. Very carefully and slowly he 

 should lift the frame by taking hold, with thumb and 

 finger, of the projecting shoulders that rest in the notch ; . 

 and he must not let it touch or scrape the next frame or 

 the sides of the hive, so as to crush Or irritate any bees. 



After the end comb is thus removed, it will be easy to 

 extract the others, as there will now be plenty of room 

 for drawing them out. A hive of exactly the same size 

 should be at hand ; and in case it be desired to remove 

 the combs and bees into another hive, care should be 

 taken that each comb occupies the same relative position 

 that it did in the old hive. 



In handling the frames, it should be borne in mind that 

 they are to be held perpendicularly. To gain a view 

 of both sides of the comb when searching for the queen,. 



