DEIVING AND SHAKING BEES. 135 



liimdred swarms successfully without the use of either 

 mint or nutmeg ; but these strongly-scented articles used 

 in the marriage-feast of two swarms tie the knot at once, 

 and cement a union lasting as life. When swarms are 

 united about sunset, and plenty of unminted syrup is 

 given to the bees, they rarely kill each other. When 

 they do, the work has not been well done. 



The immediate effects of placing sweets in the mouths 

 of young folk are very noticeable. A kind of intoxication 

 or hilarity comes over their minds ; and when this takes 

 place, it is rather difificult to make them cross-tempered. 

 All this kind of thing happens in a hive if the bees are 

 well fed with sugar. It is therefore wise to give them some 

 about fifteen minutes before the other swarm is shaken 

 amongst them. A swarm may be divided between two 

 hives, or three, as successfully as when whoUy given to 

 one. We are now speaking of uniting bees in autumn. 



The oldest queen of the two swarms should be killed 

 before the union takes place. And it is necessary to 

 remember that the hives standing against each other in 

 the same garden are the most eligible for being united, as 

 each swarm will be near its own stand. 



When our hives are brought home from the moors, we 

 place the honey-hives in front of, or side by side with, 

 those marked for keeping, thus : — 



/\ 



I EONETJ 

 ( STOCK P f STOCK ] f STOCK J 



Here the four stock-hives get the "bees of the two 



