ROBBING. 71 
frames filled with comb, with no eggs or brood, and go 
to a populous stock and exchange these two combs for 
two others filled with brood. Select such as have most 
of the brood sealed over, as you want that which will 
hatch the quickest. Put these two combs in the hive 
that is being robbed, fasten up the stock by putting wire 
cloth over the entrances, giving them air, yet preventing 
the passage of bees.* When you put in the two frames 
with brood, if you find but little honey in the hive—not 
enough to last the bees a month or more—put in one 
frame containing honey. Put on the feeder and carry 
the hive to a dark and quiet room, and fill the feeder 
with pure, soft water. Let the bees remain in this room 
four days; then about one hour before sunset, set them 
on the old stand, giving them their liberty, with the 
entrances to the hive contracted—the lower entrance 
closed entirely and the upper one half closed. Intelli- 
gent bee keepers will readily understand why this plan 
should prove a success. First, the bees that hatch from 
the brood comb given the weak stock, will be a great 
encouragement to the few bees in the hive; and in a 
very few days they will aid in defending the hive against 
the attacks of robbers. Again—removing the hive from 
the stand seems to disorganize the robbers, for after they 
have visited the stand for several days, and find no plun- 
der, they will give up the search in that direction. 
*It is well to confine the bees when a large number of robbers are inside— 
a larger number if possible than the swarm itself, for being confined a few 
days, they will make that hive their home, and aid in defending its stores 
against other robbers with as much energy as the bees of the original swarm, 
