58 FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 



liair of these as a knife eonslanlly in the pocket. To make good 

 work eli]))iing', a knife should be very sharp, and I find it is 

 harder to liave a sjiar/i knife constantly on hand than a sharp 

 pair of scissoi's. Neither is it so necessary that the scissors be 

 sharp. 



FINIUXG QUEEX. 



Before a queen is clipped she must be found. I have seen 

 some attempt at rules for finding a queen, but after all is said, 

 you must do more or less lurnting for a queen if you would 

 find her, I generally be.^in looking on the first frame of brood 

 I come to — hardly worth while to look on any frame before the 

 brood is reached — and as I raise the frame out of the hive I 

 keep watch of the side next me. Then when the frame is lifted 

 out of the hive, before looking at the opposite side, I glance at 

 (he nearest side of the next frame in the hive; for it requires 

 scarcely any time to do this, and if she happens to be in sight 

 it will be a saving of time to lift out immediately the frame she 

 is on. Not seeing her on the frame in the hive, I look over both 

 sides of the frame in my hand, and continue thus through all 

 the frames. Although it was not worth while to look for her 

 on any comb before the brood-nest was reached, it is worth 

 while to look for her on the comb or combs remaining after 

 ]iassing over those that contain brood, for in trying to get away 

 from the light she will go on to the outside combs. 



This trying to get away from the light on the part of the 

 (|iieen, l)y going from one comb to the other, makes me go over 

 the combs as rapidly as possible without looking too closely, for 

 if I do not see her with a slight looking, the chances are that 

 she is on another comb, and I count it better to run the chance 

 (if going over the combs again, rather than to go too slowly. 

 For if one goes over the combs slowly eiioiujh, it is a pretty safe 

 thing to say that the queen will be driven clear to the other side 

 of the hive. 



iMy assistant, however, who is an expert at finding queens, 

 holds a different theory, and as a consequence her practice is 

 (hl'fcrenl. She flunks it better to go more slowly and make sure 

 of finding the queen firsi time going over. She takes more time 

 to go o\('i- (he combs the first time, but she doesn't often have to 



