BEES, BEE-HIVES, AND BEE CULTURE. 21 



enlarged. The bees will commence operations in this new apartment. 

 This simple operation, done at the proper time, generally prevents 

 swarming; by it, the queen gains a vast addition to her dominions, 

 and, consequently, increasing space for the multiplying population of 

 her domicile. Provided the weather continue fine, and the thermome- 

 ter has risen to 95 degrees, as marked on the scale, the remaining 

 tin may be also withdrawn, thereby giving the bees, admittance to 

 another box ; there is now no lack of store-rooms nor of employ- 

 ment for our indefatigable labourers. The cylinder thermometer is 

 required to be occasionally dropped into the ventilating tube of the 

 side boxes to ascertain their temperature; for if exceeding or 

 approaching that of the middle box, it must be reduced by ventilating ; 

 this is done by raising the zinc tops, to allow the air to pass through 

 the perforations. The grand object of this system is to keep the end 

 boxes and the bell glass cooler than the pavilion or middle box, so as to 

 induce the queen to propagate her species there and there only, and 

 not in the depriving part of the hive ; by this means the side and 

 upper combs are in no way discoloured by brood. The queen requires 

 a considerable degree of warmth ; the middle box does not require 

 more ventilation than the additional openings afford. The bees 

 enjoy coolness in the side boxes, and thereby the whiteness and 

 purity of the luscious store are increased. 



After having given directions for the working of the hive, it 

 remains to be told how to obtain possession of the store, and to get rid 

 of our industrious tenants from the super and end boxes, of which 

 the super glass will be almost sure to be filled first, having been first 

 given to them. The operation of taking honey is best performed in 

 the middle of a fiue sunny day. The best mode that we know of is to 

 pass an ordinary table-knife all round underneath the rim of the glass 

 to loosen the cement, properly called propolis ; then take a piece of fine 

 wire, or a piece of string will do, and, having hold of the two ends, draw 

 it under the glass very slowly, so as to allow the bees to get out of the 

 way. Having brought the string through, the glass is now separated 

 from the hive ; but it is well to leave the glass in its place for an 

 hour or so, the commotion of the bees will then have subsided ; and 

 another advantage we find is, that the bees suck up the liquid and 

 seal up the cells broken by the cutting off. You can then pass under- 

 neath the glass two pieces of tin or zinc ; the one may be the proper 

 slide to prevent the inmates of the hive coming out at the aper- 



