196 THE BEE-KEEPER’S MANUAL. 
such case, may be now passed under each opening 
of the adapter. 
The position of the queen bee must now be a 
matter of careful attention. If she is not in the 
super (and she seldom is there after it is filled), 
the silence that at first prevailed will be exchanged 
for a murmuring hum, attended by a commotion 
among the bees; and they shortly after begin to 
quit the super, without attempting any attack. 
Should the queen be present, however, a very 
different scene would ensue, and a hubbub would 
then commence in the stock-hive; though the loss 
of their queen is sometimes not discovered by the 
bees for a considerable time. In such a case, the 
box must be reinstated in its former position, and 
the communication reopened till some other day. 
The bee-keeper who uses queen-preventers need, 
however, have no fear of her majesty’s intrusions. 
Indeed, she is seldom guilty of them even when free 
access is afforded her; but, if she does enter the 
super, it is possible that the case may then be 
further complicated by the presence of brood—which 
the bees leave very reluctantly, and often not at all. 
In an emergency of this kind, it is best to restore 
matters to their previous state, and let the super 
remain till the brood is perfected. A little patience 
is sometimes necessary: but all attempts at ejec- 
tion of the bees by tapping, smoking, or driving 
would usually, in this case, do more harm than 
good. So long as they continue to leave the super, 
it may remain where it is, for on these occasions 
young bees are sometimes numerous; and if the 
