FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES .:9 



them all out as soon as possible so as to have a good flight 

 before night. If any should be brought out too late to fly, it 

 may turn cold before the next morning, when a lot of bees 

 might fly out to meet their death. To be sure, I could get along 

 without outside help by having one of the women-folks help me, 

 for my hives have cleats on each end, the cleats reaching clear 

 across the hive, so that a rope can be slipped over them, and 

 one can take hold of the rope at each side, making the work not 

 so very hard. Indeed, the two women have sometimes rendered 

 efficient service by taking a hive between them, as shown in Fig. 

 7. An endless rope is used, making it the work of a very few 

 seconds to throw the rope over each end of the hive. The same 

 rope may be used to make the work lighter for a single person 

 (Fig. 8). But the rope is not so quickly adjusted as when two 

 persons use it. ' 



On the whole, it is better to have a strong man who can 

 pick up each hive without any ceremony, carry it directly to its 

 place and set it on its stand. In this work the end-cleats of the 

 hive serve an important purpose,, for the carrier can let the 

 full weight of the hive come on his forearms by having an arm 

 under each cleat, each hand lightly clasping the hive on the 

 opposite side (Fig. 9). 



CELLAR AIRED BEFORE CARRYING. 



When it is warm enough to carry out bees, it will be 

 understood that the cellar is likely to become a good deal 

 warmer than 45 degrees, the temperature near which it is desir- 

 able to keep the cellar throughout the winter. So if carrying 

 out is undertaken without any previous preparation, when the 

 cellar-door is opened the bees will pour out of the hives and 

 out of the cellar-door, sailing about in confusion, causing some 

 loss and making the work of carrying out exceedingly unpleas- 

 ant. This must be avoided ; so the previous evening, as soon as 

 it becomes dusk, cellar door and window are thrown wide open. 



Having the cellar open the previous night makes it much 

 pleasanter to carry out the bees, which do not generally come 

 out of their hives till some time after being set on their stands. 

 If at any time a colony seems inclined to come out of the hive, 

 a little smoke is given at the entrance. At other times it would 



