FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 57 



While the frames are being changed from one hive lo tlie 

 other, observations and necessary clianges are made. If there 

 is no cleaning of hives, then the work is shortened. The dnmmy 

 is taken out, and one frame is also taken out sii as (o leave freer 

 working room. This one frame may be put in an empty hive 

 standing convenient; or it may be leaned against the hive being- 

 operated on, or against an adjoining hive. If the dummy was 

 on the near side, then the frames are all pushed toward me, two 

 or three being started at a time, and when all are started the 

 tool is pushed down between the further frame and the side of 

 the hive, and all the frames at one push shoved toward me 

 enough to give plenty of room at the further side. If the frames 

 are Hoffman (a few hives contain Hoffman frames) then it is 

 necessary to start each frame separately before it can be lifted 

 out. 



WATCHING POK QUEEN. 



As the frames are being handled, the thing that receives 

 closer attention than anything else is to see the queen so as to 

 know whether she is clipped or not. For if a colony should 

 have an undipped queen there is a fair chance that it might 

 swarip and decamp; and it is possible that almost any colony 

 may have superseded its queen the previous fall, leaving it with 

 an undipped queen. 



IMPLEMENT FOR CLIPPING. 



If the queen is undipped, of course I dip her. Nearly 

 always I use a pair of scissors for clipping, although I ha\e 

 tried a knife. The strongest argument in favor of the knife is 

 that a knife is always on hand. But it is as easy to have a pair 

 of scissors on hand. They may be tied to the record-book, and 

 the record-book is sure to be always on hand. Most of the time 

 I have had a pair of embroidery scissors tied to my record-book 

 with a string long enough to allow the scissors to be freely used, 

 but I have been surprised to find that much larger scissors will 

 do very good work. Latterly I have used a common pair of 

 gentleman's pocket scissors, and I am not sure but I like them 

 r.s well as the embroidery scissors. It is just as easy to have a 



